Adam Copeland gets an Edgeucation
by RRatedauthor
Summary: Can Jeff cope with Edge's repeated attempts to get with him? Who can help when the R-Rated superstar decides to take matters into his own hands? Rated M for scenes of violence and mature content!
1. Chapter 1

All characters copyright WWE inc. This one goes out to everyone who has ever had to sacrifice for a loved one...

Over The Edge

"You wanted to see me, Mr. McMahon." Adam Copeland, aka Edge, aka "The Ultimate Opportunist" aka "The R-rated Superstar" walked into his boss' office, a smug expression on his face.

Three weeks ago, he had been the victim of what he called "a senseless attack" at the residence that Jeff and Eric sometimes shared and he assumed that Vince was calling him in discuss his payback. With Eric still not employed by the company, Adam assumed it would involve him beating the tar out of Jeff. Except for some on-sight interviews, Jeff had not done much since losing to Matt at Wrestlemania. The official explanation was an injured throat from a Twist of Fate done around a chair, but the real reasons were known only to Vince and Jeff, neither of whom were talking to anyone, especially Edge.

"Yeah, have a seat, Adam. We have a problem." Vince leaned over the desk, lacing his fingers together.

"Sir?" Adam asked

"Yes. I received this today." Vince gestured at a legal-looking document his elbows were currently resting upon. "It's a restraining order."

"I dunno what's been going on between you, Jeff, and Eric, but until further notice, this states that you are not allowed within 500 yards of either of them..."

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Adam exclaimed "For what?"

"According to this, attempted rape, uttering threats, trespassing..."

"That's a load of crap!" Adam shouted. At least the last two were, and in his mind, Jeff had been begging for it to begin with.

"It may be, but until this gets settled officially, I have to go along with it. Therefore, I expect you to conform with this as well. Any, and I mean any, transgression of the conditions in this, and I will hang you out to dry and then I'll hang you." Vince slid the papers across his desk to the now very angry blond.

"Is that all?" Adam asked

"For now, yes." Vince replied "And I am dead serious. Unless you want a lot of trouble, keep your nose clean."

Adam stormed out of Vince's office, slamming the door hard enough to knock a painting or two off the wall, and immediately went to his dressing room.

"Fuck!" He shouted

"'sup, bro?" Jay asked

"Goddamn Hardy and his ass-fucking faggot of a boyfriend." Adam answered, his rage spewing like lava from an active volcano. "This is what's up... a fucking restraining order."

"Restraining order? What for?" Jay asked

"Matt and I decided to have a little fun with ole Jeffro, and he blew it way out of proportion." Adam rehashed the incident with Jay, glossing over some of it to make him come out in a better light.

"Lemme take a look at that." Jay scanned the document while Adam ranted.

"It was Eric, I know it. First he tries to permanently injure me, and now this!" Adam paced "I'll get them both, I swear it!"

"It looks legit." Jay handed the pages back to Adam, who crumpled them in his fists.

"I don't care if it looks legit or not..."

"Why you jumping down my throat?" Jay asked, unused to seeing his "brother" act like this. I guess he didn't watch a whole lot of WWE programming while he was in TNA? "Maybe you should just chill."

"Chill?" Adam looked at Jay like he'd been speaking Japanese. "I'm being fucked over and all you can say is 'chill'?"

"It's your deal, not mine." Jay quickly gathered his things and left the fuming superstar to his own devices.

"Dammit. If you think this will stop me, then you're dead wrong, Jeff. Dead wrong."

Around noon, Jeff finally awoke. With all his time off, he was enjoying that he was now able to sleep in once in a while. He liked it more that he was not sleeping alone, stuffed rabbit notwithstanding.

It was times like this, when he looked over at the peaceful face of his man, that he felt the happiest he'd felt in years. In fact, there was only one time that he knew he'd been happier, but thinking about things that involved his brother made him feel mildly creepy considering what had happened only weeks earlier. He could not even face the fact that his own brother was willing to hold him down while Adam... Jeff shuddered at thoughts of Adam standing over him, leering at him.

Sometimes, the thoughts got so bad, it turned into a full-blown panic attack. He'd be watching TV, or working out, and he'd start to sweat, and shake. It had gotten so bad that even Eric's comforting arms weren't enough.

"Eric, you up?" Jeff asked

"Been up for hours." Eric answered, despite his eyes being closed.

"Hours? You were so tired last night... what happened?" Jeff asked

"You don't remember last night? Oh boy. You had another panic attack around two o'clock. I must've held you for almost an hour before you calmed down enough to sleep." Eric answered

"Oh." Jeff's tone indicated that he didn't remember the events of earlier that morning.

"You must've forgotten it, but believe me I didn't. Your heart was pounding so loudly I could hear it, even when you lay down on your side of the bed," Eric reached for his face mask. His accident earlier had not healed properly yet again which had precipitated a return to the hospital and yet another re-breaking of his nose.

"I'm sorry, baby." Jeff apologized

"I know you are. But I've gotten used to it. Face it, you went through a fairly traumatic experience and it'll take some time to get over it." Thankfully, Jeff hadn't started shunning physical contact from Eric. From everyone else, yes, but not his lover. This might explain why he hadn't returned to the ring since WM XXV, but Eric knew better than to ask.

"Since I'm up, do you want breakfast in bed?" Eric stretched seductively and turned toward Jeff.

"MMM... can I have 'sketti and Skittles and..." Jeff went into his child mode.

"NO! I have told you before, you need to have a healthy breakfast so you can grow up big and strong... like me." Eric laughed

"I want Skittles!" Jeff wailed

"Play with your bunny while I make breakfast." Eric got out of bed and threw a robe on.

"Bunny!" Jeff squeezed that thing so hard, Eric thought it was going to burst. Heaven forbid something ever happen to it.

"Now you and bunny play nicely."

"Okay..." It was nice to see that some of Jeff's childish innocence had returned. Eric had started to worry.

While Jeff played with his rabbit, Eric made breakfast. He was just about to serve when the sounds of the morning mail alerted him.

Wondering if his tax refund cheque had finally shown up, Eric left the food where it was and grabbed the mail from the floor.

"Bills, bills, bills..." He mumbled

One envelope caught his eye. There was no name, no return address, no postmark... just the word "PERSONAL" in very big capitals.

"Hmm..." Eric skimmed the single sheet that was inside and immediately his stomach knotted.

"The hell you will." Eric scrunched it up and stuck it into the front pocket of his bathrobe. The rest of the mail he dropped on the kitchen table, then, taking the tray back into the bedroom, he served breakfast to himself and Jeff, who seemed to be having a lot of fun with his stuffed friend.

"Breaky is ready." Eric sang

"Breaky!" His rabbit suddenly forgotten, Jeff clapped his hands in anticipation. "What'd ya make?"

"The usual... bacon and eggs, toast, pancakes. Just chow down." Eric slid in beside Jeff and they devoured the food like it was the first they'd seen in weeks.

"Remind me... I've got to start paying some of these bills soon." Eric said around a mouthful of egg.

"Eric!" Jeff scolded him

"Hey... when Vince bought me out, the payoff was only gonna cover my needs for six months at the most. I've been living on credit ever since." Eric said, nonchalantly, trying not to worry his boyfriend. In truth, Eric was close to losing everything.

"Why didn't you say something?" Jeff demanded

"Don't worry about it." Eric waved "Eat.:"

"What do you mean don't worry?" Jeff was now completely serious. "We're in this together now. How bad is it?"

"Jeff, not now. I'm trying to enjoy my breakfast." Eric poured a second cup of coffee and stared at him over the rim.

"Eric..."

"You're not gonna let it go, are you?" When Jeff shook his head, Eric continued "I'm about 35 thousand in debt right now."

"Fuck!" Jeff replied "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because it's not your problem?" Eric set his coffee cup down and stared at Jeff. "I appreciate your concern, but let me deal with it..."

"Hell, no." Jeff answered "As soon as we're done breakfast, we're going to the bank and paying off some of this shit."

"How... I seem to recall just telling you that..."

"I'll take care of it."

The realization of what Jeff was suggesting hit Eric and he didn't like the whiplash. "No way... uh-uh... I'm not gonna put you in debt for me. For cryin' out loud, you've got a new house to pay for."

"Dude, with my Wrestlemania paycheck, I could pay your debts off, pay for my house, and still have enough left to live for two months." Jeff answered

"Whatever." Eric sighed

"I insist... just think of it as payment for services." Jeff responded "Considering you've been sorta taking care of me for the last while."

"I guess your mind is made up, eh?" Eric leaned back onto his pillow and smirked. "You done eating?"

"Yeah."

"Room for dessert?"

"Dessert for breakfast?" Jeff asked

Eric tossed a familiar red package at his lover.

"Skittles!" Jeff squealed, tearing open the bag and devouring the candy by the handful.

"How you can eat that crap and not gain weight is a mystery to me..." Eric said, massaging his pocket where the letter he had not told Jeff about still sat, crumpled-up.

"Anyway... I'm gonna shower and dress, and then we'll talk."

Eric tossed his robe onto the bed and went into the shower. As it hit the bed, a ball of paper rolled out of the one pocket.

Always being the curious type, Jeff quickly unfolded it and read it. His eyes widened, then his whole body started to shake. He screamed. This brought Eric, naked, running from the shower. Thankfully, he hadn't actually gotten in yet.

"Whassup?" Eric asked, before seeing what Jeff was holding. "Jeff, do you always go through my pockets when I'm not around?" That was meant to be a jibe, but when two tears rolled down Jeff's eyes, Eric knew it was not from laughter.

"Shit." Much like he'd done earlier, Eric jumped into bed and quickly gathered Jeff into his arms. "Jeffro, you weren't supposed to read that... why do you think I hid it from you?"

"Why, Eric... why?" Jeff shook

"I don't know Jeff. If I did, I'd know what to do about it." Eric replied

"Who would do something like that?" Jeff whimpered

"Three guesses, and the first two don't count." Eric said, his voice taking a hard turn.

"But he can't..." Jeff knew what Eric meant. "I mean, he's not supposed to be near us."

"Unfortunately the dumb son of a bitch wasn't dumb enough to sign his name, so we can't assume that it was him." Eric brushed Jeff's hair from his eyes. "But don't you worry. I'm gonna make sure that whomever did this pays."

Eric spent the better part of that afternoon calming Jeff's shot nerves. Around four, and after Eric slipped him a double of Sleepytime Tea, Jeff started dozing off.

"I've gotta make a phone call." Eric slid out from under Jeff and went for his cell phone.

"Don't go. Please." Jeff pleaded

"I'll just be in the other room." Eric said "I won't be long."

Jeff scrunched his pillow to his chest. "Hurry."

"So much for today." Eric grumbled "Vince McMahon, please...yes, I'll hold."

When the hold music came on, Eric grimaced yet again. Such was Vince's ego, he could resist self-promotion whenever possible. His hold music was "Get Back"; his 'hit single' from the second wrestling album "Piledriver".

"Hi, Vince... it's Eric... Stryker, sir. Yeah, Jeff's dude." Eric shook his head, having to explain who he was to his ex-boss wasn't a good start.

"Not bad, sir. I was calling to find out if Adam had received those papers yet? You gave them to him today? Alright... no, no problems at home... I don't know when he's coming back, you'll have to ask him yourself... okay, I'll pass along the message."

Eric hung up before Vince could ask any more questions that Eric didn't know, or feel like answering.

"I got good news, Jeffy." Eric returned to where Jeff lay curled up. "Adam got the papers today, so there should be no more of this nonsense."

"Good." Jeff said, trying to sound relieved. He wasn't.

"Not even Adam is that stupid to violate a court-issued restraining order." Eric ruffled Jeff's hair.

"But what if he is? I'm scared." Jeff looked into Eric's face. His eyes told the whole story. The kid was terrified of Adam coming back and finishing what he and Matt had started to do.

"We'll deal with that later. Right now, and as long as I'm here, you're safe." Eric pulled Jeff close once more.

"Y'know, Jeff, maybe we are going about this the wrong way?" Eric looked down at his now-sleeping boyfriend. He looked peaceful on the surface, it was hard to believe how much emotional turmoil was going through his slight frame. "We'll talk later, but you have nothing to worry about, Jeff. Nothing at all."

For the first time in almost a week, Jeff slept soundly. This helped them both get some much-needed rest. He still clung to Eric like a child with his teddy bear. Even his long-time companion was pushed to the side.

"Jeff, you have to call the boss." Eric finally said one morning. "There are half-a-dozen messages from people at work wondering when you are gonna come back to the job."

"So?" Jeff was curled upon Eric's sofa, watching Oprah.

"Is there something you're not telling me?" Eric asked

He was rewarded with a look. Not one of acceptance, which is what Eric had hoped for, but one of terror.

"I can't go back... he'll be there! Don't make me!" It looked like Jeff was going to have another panic attack.

"Jeffy, I'm not gonna force you to do anything you don't want to. All I'm saying is that don't you think you should at least tell someone when, or if, you plan to go back." Eric patted Jeff on the back. "Man, you are fucking tense."

"Wouldn't you be?" Jeff snapped

Eric flinched. That was not the response he'd wanted. He was thinking about giving Jeff another massage.

"Fine, do whatever the hell you want... I don't care right now!" Eric snapped

"Fine, I will." Jeff stormed into the bathroom and slammed the door.

"Fine." Eric went into the bedroom and slammed his own door. Throwing himself backwards, he landed on his bed and stared at the ceiling.

"Okay, E." Eric said "You handled that real well. If Jeff isn't ready to go back, forcing the issue won't help any..."

This time, Eric didn't rush to the bathroom with an apology. Instead, he waited, hoping that for once Jeff would come out first. He waited and waited and waited some more. Eventually, he knew he'd have to give in (again!), not because he was wrong, but because he had to pee really bad.

"Dammit. I need another bathroom. What was I thinking?" Eric grumbled, stomping into the hallway. "Jeff, I hope you're not slitting your wrists in there 'cause I gotta go. Bad."

Eric waited, hopping impatiently from foot to foot. If Jeff didn't open the door real soon, Eric was gonna use one of the planters for relief. Just when he thought that he wasn't gonna be able to hold it any longer, the door mercifully opened.

"Thank-you." Shoving Jeff aside, Eric made a beeline for the john.

He didn't care whether or not Jeff was gonna give him some privacy. He really needed to go. He did his business as he normally would, he just pretended that it was a public toilet.

"So, would me going back with you help make your mind up?" Eric asked, while shaking and rezipping.

Jeff looked surprised. When Eric had said that he had nothing to worry about, Jeff had mistakenly assumed that meant that he's stay at Eric's house until everything blew past.

"Vince knows what happened." Eric said "Maybe if we tell him that if I don't come back, you won't come back. We could tell him that I'm the only one you trust right now."

"The truth?" Jeff stated

"It would be a novel idea." Eric chuckled

"Yeah. Mr. McMahon and the truth don't seem to go together very often." Jeff giggled

"So, do you want to call Vince or do you want me to?" Eric offered

Jeff thought about it. "I guess I should." He answered

Eric looked through the rest of the mail while Jeff called Titan. He was wondering when he'd actually be able to pay off all these bills. As he was shuffling through them again, he noticed another smaller envelope stuck between two of them. This one was addressed to Eric, postmarked from New York. This surprised Eric as he didn't know anybody who lived in New York. Curiosity got the better of them and he opened it. A single card dropped onto his lap.

"Stay away from Jeff if you know what is good for you." It read

"Yeah, right." Like the previous letter, Eric didn't let this one get to him either. "Copeland, if you think I'm gonna fall for your crap, then you are mistaken." He stuck it into his back pocket, with plans to dispose of it in the first trash can he saw.

"Okay... Smackdown. Yessir. And there's no problem with bringing Eric? Thank-you Mr. McMahon." Eric heard Jeff hang up the phone. He bounced into the living room, jumping over the couch and landing beside Eric. Out of nowhere, he hugged him.

"I guess everything's gonna work out."

"Thank-you, Eric. I don't know what I'd do without you." Eric turned to reply when Jeff cut him off with a big wet one on the lips.

"Probably sit on my couch, eat Skittles and sketti, watch Oprah and get fat like me." Eric patted his waistline, which had expanded since the last time he was in the ring.

"You're not fat." Jeff poked him. "There's just more of you to love."

"Whatever... let's get packing." Eric headed for his bedroom, Jeff close behind. "And just remember this. Adam and Matt cannot hurt you as long as I'm around."

Friday Night Smackdown...

Jeff and Eric entered the arena before anyone else. They had a meeting with Vince to discuss the whole Jeff/Adam/Matt/Eric situation.

"Sit down gentlemen." Vince actually seemed cordial. Maybe that was because he was one of the few people who knew the entire story, not counting those who'd heard Edge's skewed opinions.

Eric and Jeff took the two chairs.

"It is good to see you both. Jeff, I'm glad you decided to come back to work... the fans have missed you."

When Eric looked over, he could read Jeff's thoughts perfectly. While he was glad that the fans had missed him, he was still full of doubt about returning.

"And Eric... well..."

"I know, Vince, and I don't expect to be paid for this. I'm only here protecting my interests." Eric interrupted

"That is sort of why I wanted to talk to both of you... our insurance has informed us that, since you are not under contract, we are libel for anything that happens to you. To wit, I have no problems with you being here backstage, but I cannot allow to step foot in the ring for any reason."

"Fair enough." Eric had expected something like this.

"I will provide Jeff with whatever extra security he feels he needs while he is out there, plus I'm sure some of the guys would be willing to help." Vince added

"How many of them know what happened?" Eric interjected

"I don't know. From what I've heard, Adam has been talking up a storm to a few people, but how many of them believe his side only is beyond me. As for Matt, he been a real loner since Wrestlemania. And frankly, I don't know what I'm going to do with him... he's been missing spots, changing promos. His work ethic has really gone downhill."

"Maybe he didn't like the whole Hardy feud angle." Eric surmised

"He was fine with it at the time."

"Maybe it's the writers???" Jeff added

"How so?"

"Well, Vince, you've always said that a good heel has to believe that his actions are justified... Matt's having a hard time doing that. And if he can't convince himself, how can he convince everyone else?" Eric finished. It was obvious that he'd given this a lot of thought.

"Eric, maybe you should join the writing team." Vince stated. Was this a joke?

"Thanks for the offer Vince, but I'm not really that creative." Eric smiled

"I don't mean permanently. Maybe just for this angle." Vince was serious. He'd heard that Matt's heel turn wasn't going well.

"I'll think it over."

"Jeff, you do have a match tonight. You're facing Matt in a stretcher match."

"You're kidding me, Vince." Eric shot up.

"No... it's the next step. Matt and Jeff had the extreme rules match at Wrestlemania, not we're taking their feud to the next level." Vince smiled

"I guess I will be joining the writing staff." Eric answered "That's one of the worst ideas I've ever heard, next to having Howard Finkel appear on camera in his underwear."

"Well, we have to do something... I'm not killing the angle..."

"Even though it's on a respirator right now?" Eric finished "Don't worry. I'm sure I can come up with an idea or two."

Eric and Jeff left Vince's office.

"Stretcher match!" Eric muttered "What are they thinking? You okay with this?"

Jeff's forlorn expression told Eric everything he needed to know.

"C'mon, let's hit catering." Eric said "I could use some chow."

Eric and Jeff ate, away from the others. Jeff was still a little skittish about being touched, even accidentally.

"Bathroom?" Jeff asked

"Do you need me to go with?" Eric asked. He ignored the looks from some of the other wrestlers. They obviously knew little about the situation.

"I'm cool."

"If you need me, just yell."

It was uneventful; Jeff's trip to the bathroom. Coming out, however, was not. Ryder and Hawkins were waiting in the corridor for him.

"Hey, pretty-boy!" Ryder sneered

Jeff tried to ignore them and walk past. Not being used to the lack of attention, Hawkins grabbed Jeff by the shoulder and swung him around.

"We're talk to ya, you rainbow-haired freak!" He said, getting right into Jeff's face. He cringed.

"W-W-What do you want?" Jeff stuttered

"We got a little surprise for ya." Ryder grabbed one arm, Hawkins the other, and they started to drag Jeff down the hallway. "If you stop squirming, we may not have to hurt you too bad."

"Let go!" Jeff tried to break free.

"Almost there." Hawkins sang.

"If we do good, maybe we'll get a piece of... ow!" Jeff bit Ryder on the hand. He stomped as hard as he could on Hawkins' left foot and ran.

"Get him! We're dead if we don't deliver the goods." They pursued Jeff back toward catering. Jeff ran as fast as he could for the safety of the locker room.

"We got ya." Hawkins tackled Jeff just outside the bathroom door where they had first accosted him.

"Now are you gonna cooperate or not?" He demanded

"No... get offa me!" Jeff fought hard against his assailant.

"This isn't working... Ryder get some rope... Ryder?" Looking over his shoulder, he saw a large figure.

"There you are... we gotta get the gift back to Adam..." He stopped when he realized it wasn't Ryder, but the huge frame of the Big Show. "Oh shit..." That was all he could get out before a big hand wrapped itself around his throat. Hawkins flew across the hall, and splattered himself against the concrete bricks.

"You okay, kid?"

Jeff had curled into a ball and was sobbing.

"Eric!" Show shouted down the hall. "We need you!"

The sounds of leather on tile indicated his approach. "What the hell... Show, what's going on?"

"It looks like somebody still hasn't got the idea." Show indicated the bloody carcasses that were Ryder and Hawkins.

"Dammit!" Eric squatted next to Jeff, and helped him up. "Thanks Paul."

"No problem. You need anything, let me know."

"I think I can handle it, but thanks for the offer!" Eric looked at Jeff, concerned etched all over his face. "I don't know if this is gonna work, babe! Do you wanna tell me what happened?" Looking at Jeff's tear-streaked face made Eric realize that a lecture was not what was needed right then.

"They... they... they grabbed m-m-e. W-w-w-hen I was com-coming out of the bath-r-r-room. They s-s-said I was a gift for Ad-Ad-Adam." Jeff was shivering, and it sure as shit wasn't cold in the arena.

"Sonovabitch!" Eric spat. "I guess Adam is more desperate than either you or I gave him credit for. Let's go."

"Go?" Jeff looked uncertain. "Where?"

"You've got a match tonight... and I have some work to do." Looking back at Edge's two cronies who were still unconscious, Eric realized that protecting Jeff was more than he could handle on his own. There was no way he was going to be able to keep Jeff safe by himself. But who could he trust... better still who would Jeff trust? He had an idea, but would Jeff agree to it?

**TO BE CONTINUED**

_How desperate is Adam? You'll find out... as always, read, review, and let me know how I'm doing!_


	2. Chapter 2

Laid Out

Eric paced backstage, anxiously watching the stretcher match between Matt and Jeff play out. On the surface it looked like a good match, but Eric could sense that Jeff was off tonight. And if he could tell, then it was obvious that everyone else also knew. Eventually, the match would end. Until the moment when Jeff was safely backstage, Eric couldn't stay still.

Mr. McMahon had provided legitimate security for Jeff, but it seemed out of place. Four cops stood at ringside, one to a corner, keeping an eye out in case Adam or any of his Edgeheads decided to interfere.

"Just finish this quickly." Eric muttered, his nerves getting more frazzled with each passing moment.

"You need to chill, dog." That voice was unmistakable. Eric turned suddenly and banged into the muscular chest of one John Cena.

"I know I do, but catering doesn't have any booze handy." Eric laughed

"You're working yourself up. McMahon said he'd take care of things... don't worry, bro, there are some of us you can trust around here."

"But how..."

"I heard Edge yammering to Jay about it." John replied "I know the truth is probably somewhere between what he's been saying and what you'd say if I asked, but it ain't my bizness, yo. Just wanted to let ya know that if you and Jeff need a hand, then the champ is here!"

"I'd say yes in a second Cena,.but Jeff isn't exactly warming up to people right now."

"Whatever, dog. Just throwin' it out there."

"It is appreciated. I sure as hell can't watch him 24/7." Eric looked back at the monitor.

"At least the match is done."

"Yeah. Small miracle." Matt had won yet again. Two and oh.

"Dude, why don't you and Jeff come out for drinks after the show? No clubbing, just maybe a restaurant or something."

"Love to, but I don't know if Jeff is up to it." Eric said "I'll ask him."

"Ask me what?"

"There you are, sweets." Eric hugged his sweaty lover. "John wants us to come out with him after the show."

"No!" Jeff started to shake, clutching Eric's arm tight.

"Shhh... Jeffy, I think it's a good idea." Eric answered "It's just be the three of us, I assume."

"Four. Triple H is coming as well."

"See. You're gonna be around friends." Eric squeezed Jeff's shoulders for support.

"Okay, I guess."

"Hit the showers, Jeff. I'll be right behind you."

Jeff skipped away.

"You gotta lotta work ahead o' ya, man." John said

"I know. Hopefully tonight is the first step..." His thought was interrupted by a scream.

"What the... Jeffy!" Eric took off in a sprint, John followed close at his heels.

The other wrestlers were in a circle around Jeff.

"What the hell is going on?" Eric demanded, out of breath.

"Dunno." Mark said "Kid opened his locker and then collapsed, screaming."

"Let me through." Eric elbowed his way to Jeff. "What's wrong?"

"Bunny." Jeff shook "It's hurt."

"Bunny?" Eric repeated "Okay, lemme take a look." He cautiously opened the locker door. Someone, quite possibly Adam, had hung Jeff's bunny from one of the hooks with a makeshift noose.

"It's not too bad, Jeff. I know CPR. It all depends how long it's been deprived of oxygen." Like he would a child, Eric carried the stuffed toy to one of the benches and lay it down gently. Ignoring the stares, he began artificial respiration on the rabbit.

"One... two... three... four... five." Eric counted off, then gave a breath. He repeated the procedure several times. He was sure the wrestlers who didn't know about Jeff's recent trauma were looking at him like he'd lost his mind, but his mind right now was on Jeff and how to bring him back.

"I feel something." He announced "C'mon... breathe!" He repeated the process. While looking away, he fake coughed. "I think it's gonna be okay."

"Alright!" Cena cheered and the look he gave the other guys made them cheer also, even if it was for a stuffed rabbit.

"Is bunny gonna be ok?" Jeff whispered from where he was still curled against the lockers.

"Come see for yourself." Eric sat the small toy up, like it had just regained consciousness.

Jeff came over, wiping his eyes on his arm bands. "Where is she?"

"Now be careful. Don't hold her too tightly."

"Bunny." Jeff cradled it in his arms, talking softly to it. "I'm so glad you're better."

Some of the wrestlers were less than enthused over having to cheer over the resuscitation of a stuffed rabbit.

"What the fuck was that all about?" Glen asked

"Beats the shit outta me." Mark replied "I think Stryker just brought a stuffed toy back to life."

Glen started to laugh. Mark soon joined in. They were the only two laughing and they were so loud that everyone else in the locker room heard them, including Jeff. He seemed to get very angry at this. Imagine, if you will, two very tall men laughing and suddenly being confronted by a much smaller man with multi-coloured hair carrying a stuffed rabbit.

"What's the problem?" Kane bent down to be on eye level with Jeff.

"That's not nice! Bunny has feelings too! Apologize!" He stuck the stuffed toy in Kane's face.

"Jeff, that thing is not alive! And I am not going to apologize to it!" Kane said

"Shhh! She'll hear you." Jeff covered it's ears and continued to wave it in the big man's face.

"Dude, I'd apologize if I were you." Mark had stopped laughing and was trying to be serious. "If not, the kid'll be on your ass until you do."

Kane was now aware that the entire locker room was looking at him. What to do? What to do?

"Alright." He grumbled "I'm sorry."

"Do it right!" Jeff prompted

Kane looked at the Undertaker for help. Mark just shrugged his shoulders. He sighed, looking into the small animals plastic eyes.

"I'm sorry for hurting your feelings." Kane said as sincerely as he could.

"Yay!" Jeff cheered, holding Bunny close to his ear like they were talking. "Bunny says you're forgiven, but next time she won't be so nice."

Jeff danced back to his locker, his bunny dangling by his side.

"That was weird, man." Cena said

Even Eric was a little put off. He'd only played along with the whole CPR thing to make Jeff feel better. Since the incident, Jeff had shut a lot of people out, including most of his family. If talking to his stuffed rabbit helped, then fine, but much more of this and psychiatric help might be necessary.

"Yeah. And I'm sleeping with both of them. Sometimes I think Jeff loves that rabbit more than me."

"I do not!" Jeff said "I love you both the same. I also love Skittles, and Sketti, and..."

"Okay, Jeff, I'm sorry I brought it up. Now is Bunny coming with us or do I need to get a babysitter?" Eric asked, completely serious. "If she's coming, she has to behave. No table dancing like last time."

"Don't ask." Eric told John before he could.

"Dude, I ain't." John backed off a few steps. "I'll see ya later."

Later that night, Eric, Jeff, John, and Triple H ended up at a far table in a local restaurant. Jeff tried bringing you-know-who into the restaurant but Eric but his foot down. "Jeff," he said, "nothing is going to happen while we're together. She'll be perfectly safe in the trunk with my stuff."

"But..." Jeff pleaded

"Trust me?" Eric replied.

"Okay." Jeff hung his head.

Their meal was eaten in relative peace, once Eric had gotten Jeff some crayons and one of those kid's place mats for him to colour.

"Aren't you a little worried about your 'son'?" Paul asked

"Only if I have to toilet train him again." Eric looked over. Jeff was drawing some garish design on the back of the place mat.

"Mhmm." Paul returned to his steak.

"What I'm really hoping is that I can trust the two of you to help me keep an eye on Jeff. This is gonna be more than a one-man job." Eric briefly related the incidents leading up to the Bunny escapade.

"It beats me how he can get away with that." Paul grumbled

"Unfortunately, we can't prove that it is him." Eric responded "Though who else would it be?"

"Matt?" John suggested

"No chance. Have you seen him lately? He shows up, does his thing, then leaves right away. He doesn't even stick around for the end of the show." Paul stated

"Yeah, but I'd keep an eye on him anyway."

"You can count on me, for sure." John answered

"Same here, man. If you do need a babysitter, though, don't call Steph and I. We got two of our own to deal with. We don't need a third." Paul joshed

"No, babysitting I can handle. It's more like I don't trust the cops Vince hired and since I don't officially work for WWE, the insurance won't cover any accidents if I go anywhere close to the ring." Eric answered

It was almost one a.m. when they left the restaurant. Since they were all staying overnight at the same hotel, Eric invited them back to Jeff and his' suite for a drink. They politely declined.

"I got an early flight." Paul said

"Yeah, me too." John agreed

"That's cool, guys... but thanks again for the help."

"No problem... we'll see you at the airport." They separated, Eric and Jeff heading for their rented vehicle.

"Can I get Bunny before we go?" Jeff clutched the drawings in his one hand.

"Sure... Why not?" Eric popped the trunk. While Jeff got his comforter out of his duffel, Eric slid behind the wheel. There was a single sheet of paper taped to the steering wheel.

"Copeland, now what?" Eric groaned. A single word was written on it. "BOOM!"

"You coming, Jeffro?"

"Right there."

Eric turned the key and the car exploded.

The force of the explosion sent Jeff and Bunny flying through the air, landing some twenty feet away.

"Eric!" Jeff screamed "Eric!"

The explosion had gathered a crowd, Paul and John amongst them.

"What the fuck... Jeff?" Paul saw the rainbow-haired warrior on his knees.

"H!" Jeff ran to him, temporarily forgetting how scared he was. His childishness seemed to disappear as well. "Some fucker just blew up our car!"

"Where's Eric?" John asked

"Eric!" Jeff wailed

"Oh God..." Paul whispered "If he was inside, he's dead as we stand!"

John gulped nervously. "Jeff, come here!"

Jeff was trying to get close enough to the car to see inside. The entire front end was engulfed, but it looked like the passenger compartment was not yet in flames. From where John and Paul stood, they could vaguely make out a figure slumped over the steering wheel.

With a nod, they sprinted to the vehicle.

"Eric!" Jeff continued to shriek.

Both of them attempted to open the driver's door, but it wasn't moving. Precious seconds passed, as the pondered their options.

"I hope this works." John took off his shirt and wrapped it around his fist. "Step back!" He punched the window, shattering it. A huge cloud of acrid smoke spewed from vehicle.

"Gimme a hand!" Paul and John pulled Eric's smoking body from the car and ran him back to where the crowd was.

"Someone call an ambulance!" Paul shouted

"Already done!" A familiar voice replied

"Matty?" Jeff looked up. It was the familiar face of his older brother. "Matty!" He jumped into his brother's arms. "Eric..."

"I know, bro. Don't worry. The paramedics will be here soon." Despite Matt's involvement, Jeff had believed him when he said that he'd just gone along with it at Adam's insistence. This would also explain Jeff's lack of enthusiasm for both their recent stretcher match and their extreme rules match at Wrestlemania.

They waited an agonizingly long time for the ambulance to arrive. Okay, ten minutes, but when your boyfriend is lying on the concrete, freshly char-broiled, every second seems like an eternity.

"Matt, why don't you let Paul and I take Jeff back to the hotel..."

"No!" Jeff clung to him even tighter.

"Jeffro, you should go back to the hotel. I'll stay here and keep an eye on Eric. As soon as I know anything, I'll call."

"Promise?" Jeff eyes Matt suspiciously.

"Scouts' honour." Matt answered "Don't forget your rabbit."

Jeff grabbed Bunny from the concrete. She had come through the accident with only minor dust on her. He allowed John and Paul to walk him to their car, although he looked back ever five steps to make sure that Matt was keeping his word.

"Fuck! Adam, what were you thinking? This has gone far enough." Matt had followed Eric and Jeff to the restaurant, and had even planted the note, but the significance of it had not dawned on him until the heard the bang. Even if Eric survived, there was no way that he was going to be in any sort of condition for a relationship for a very long time, if ever. Realizing this, Matt decided on the spot that if he wasn't going to get what he wanted out of this scheme of Edge's, then neither would Adam.

Eric was rushed to the nearest hospital with first and second-degree burns to his hands and arms and plastic burns to the upper part of his face from his face mask melting. Ironic since Eric didn't need it anymore, but only wore it because of where he was going to be that day.

At the hotel, John offered to stay with Jeff until they heard something from Matt. In Jeff's room...

"Jeff, don't you think you should try to get some sleep?" John suggested, watching the younger Hardy pace the floor.

"Sleep? Sleep! How the fuck can I sleep? Eric's in the fucking hospital!" Jeff yelled

"Don't take it out on me. I promised Eric that I'd help him watch your back and I will. But you gotta calm down." John answered

"Why hasn't Matty called?" Jeff looked at his phone for the twelfth time since they'd arrived.

"He said he'd call when he heard anything, right?" Even though John didn't trust Matt for a second, he went along with it.

"Yeah." Jeff sighed

"How's bunny?" John asked, trying to change the conversation.

"Who cares? I want my Eric!" Jeff began to cry.

Being a strong shoulder was not something John was real good at. He kept his emotions to himself 99 per cent of the time.

"Who cares? Not six hours ago you were making Kane apologize for hurting her feelings in front of the locker room and now you say who cares?" John patted the bed beside him. Jeff sat.

"Here." John reached behind him for the cherished toy.

Jeff hugged it tight. The soft feel of the animal reminded Jeff of better days, which started a full-blown crying jag.

"Jeff, Eric will be alright, and you and he will live happily ever after." John felt like a total dork for saying that, but he was also very aware of Jeff's fragile condition.

Jeff's phone rang. He looked at it. "It's Matt." He said between sniffles.

"Here, dude." John answered it for him. "Cena. Yeah Matt, he's right here... not doing so well... okay... yeah... oh, man... yes, I'll tell him. Yeah, we'll try, but I doubt it'll happen. Tomorrow, then. Bye, dude."

John looked at a wide-eyed Jeff.

"That was Matt. Eric was admitted to the burn unit. His arms and face were pretty messed up, and they had to put him under to work on him." John explained

Jeff's eyes got even wider. Cena hoped they wouldn't fall out of his head.

"But he's gonna be okay, man. There will be some scarring, but other than that, he'll be good as new in a couple weeks."

"Thank-you." Both Jeff and Bunny hugged Cena. A little embarrassed, he hugged them both back.

"He'll be able to have visitors tomorrow, so we should probably try to get some sleep."

As John had said over the phone, neither he nor Jeff slept much that night, and it had nothing to do with Jeff having another panic attack during the night and ending up sleeping next to Cena.

They were greeted at the hospital by Matt, who looked like he'd spent the entire night there, which he had.

"Matty!" Jeff screeched

"Heya, Jeffro." Matt embraced his brother. "Thanks for bringing him."

"No prob. I gotta catch a flight... can you handle things?"

"Yeah, I got him."

"Laterz. Take care Jeff." Leaving Jeff alone with Matt was not something John stopped to think about, although in hindsight it might not have been the wisest move.

"C'mon, let's go see Eric." Matt answered, taking Jeff up to the burn unit. "He's still a little bandaged up, but he's conscious."

"You still awake, man?" Matt asked

"Barely. The drugs are wiping me." Eric answered weakly.

"You up for a guest?"

"Eric!" Jeff ran around Matt and hugged his lover, being careful not to touch his wraps.

"Jeffro!" Eric returned the hug as best he could. Since both his arms were in traction, it wan't much of one for sure.

"I was so worried." Jeff said, his head buried in Eric's chest.

"Me too. Nobody would tell me anything. I asked about you." Eric answered

"Matty, why didn't you...?" Jeff looked at his brother.

"Jeff, you know that they wouldn't have let Matt follow along. He probably spent the whole night at a bar or something."

"Actually, Eric, they let me, but you were out of it. They doped you up real good."

"I can imagine." Eric looked at his arms. "So it looks like I won't be able to watch your back for the next couple weeks."

"I'm gonna stay right beside you until you're all better." Jeff was starting to revert back, and Eric really didn't that right then.

"Cool, but can I talk to Matt for a second before you make that decision?" Eric asked

"Sure." Jeff replied

"Alone." Eric added

"Oh."

"There's a candy machine down the hall... maybe they have some Skittles?" Matt suggested

"Yay! Skittles!" Jeff ran out of the room.

"Close the door, Hardy." Eric ordered "We need to talk."

Matt shut the door and faced Eric.

"What the hell are you and Adam up to? I mean, it's not bad enough that the two of you are trying to break us up so you can both fulfill your little fantasies, but don't you think that you've gone overboard... I mean, this is attempted murder we're talking about!" Eric shouted as loudly as his voice could manage.

"Eric, I..." Matt expected this, but he still had no idea how he'd respond.

"I don't want excuses... what I'd like is an explanation. Dammit, how the fuck can you live with yourself right now? I know Jeff has forgiven you, somewhat, but I'm finding this whole thing a little too coincidental for my tastes."

"Fine... you want an explanation?"

"I think I deserve at least that." Eric said

"Eric, you know that I have feelings for you..."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah... we had this conversation earlier, before I almost made the biggest mistake of my life."

"Are you gonna let me fuckin' finish or not?" Matt replied angrily.

"Just skip to the good part." Eric retorted

"Okay... Adam is out of control right now. The whole locker room can see it."

"So why hasn't someone stepped up?"

"I don't think they know how out of control he is." Matt answered

"Not to mention confused... if he's trying to make me jealous, hanging Jeff's Bunny is not gonna do it."

"It's wayyyy beyond that. He's not trying to split you up with jealousy, he's trying to split you up the old-fashioned way... by taking you out of the picture, permanently." Matt sat down at the head of the bed.

"And he almost succeeded." Eric moaned when a nerve ending unexpectedly woke up.

"So, basically, maybe you should stop trying to watch Jeff all the time and start watching your own ass for a change." Matt suggested

"You're giving me advice?" Eric leaned back on his pillow and laughed. "God, Hardy, you're rich."

"Just trying to help." Matt said

"You wanna help? Stay away from Jeff and me! Any chance that you might've had with me went out the window the moment you two set me up! You should go before I decide to tell Jeff exactly what his big brother has been up to the last few days!" Eric glared at Matt, the burns around his eyes making his gaze even more sinister.

"Like he'll believe you." Matt taunted

"Hey, I brought his rabbit back from the dead... the kid'll believe anything I say to him right now." Eric responded "Go!"

"Just remember, you've been warned." Matt left the room. Eric was only alone for a minutes before the nurse entered.

"Here's your pain med." She inserted the needle into the IV that went into Eric's left arm.

"Thanks... a few nerves were starting to sizzle." Eric immediately felt better as the morphine hit his system. "Have you seen a rainbow-haired guy around?"

"Last time I checked, he was having a fit with a candy machine." She smiled

"That's my Jeffro." Eric started feeling drowsy. "A higher dose?"

"Just keeping the pain manageable." She smiled

"Cool. If you see..." Eric fell asleep in mid-sentence.

The nurse's happy expression immediately left. Opening the door, she let a familiar man into the room.

"He's out, just like you asked." She said

"Thanks, Aunt Carol." Edge kissed her on the cheek. "I'll only be a second."

Edge took the empty syringe from her and stuck it into the IV. Once the air bubble hit his blood stream, it was only a matter of time. Eric would be gone and Adam would be free to pursue his ultimate goal... and this time, no one was going to stop him. No one.

**TO BE CONTINUED**

_A little bit of humour prior to getting back to the serious business of a plot... I'm losing my internet for a bit at the end of the month, so I'm trying to make sure that I finish this story beforehand. I hope it doesn't seem rushed to anyone. Feel free to tell me if you think I'm going a little too fast, plot -wise._

_Till my next update!  
_


	3. Chapter 3

Desperation

Jeff wandered through the house in a trance. Up until three days ago, it had been one of the few places he had felt safe and secure in. Now, it only brought back painful memories of what might have been. One week ago, Eric Stryker, his protector, and the love of his life, had died due to a massive stroke while recovering in the burn ward. The police were treating it as an accident, but Jeff, as well as those around him, knew better.

In true WWE style, Vince offered to dedicate the following week's RAW to Eric, but Jeff declined, opting for a simple two minute tribute at the start. Eric had not been an active wrestler for very long or very recently was Jeff's logic. That had been his only contact with the outside world since he'd found out. He locked himself in Eric's house, spending hours a day looking through photos, and crying until he felt that there wasn't a tear left inside him. He usually slept curled up with one of Eric's shirts, and when we woke up, he'd start the whole sorry affair all over again.

Today was gonna be different...

Again curled up in Eric's favorite chair looking at one of the last photos he had of him, Jeff heard footsteps on the porch. But, instead of hearing the familiar sound of mail being shoved through the slot, there was an anxious banging on the door. Jeff ignored it until...

"Jeffro! Open the damn door before I kick it in!" It was Matt, whom Jeff hadn't seen or talked to since the day Eric died.

"Be cool." Jeff told himself. He did open the door, but "Hi, Matty..." was all he was able to say before the tears started flowing again.

Without having to be invited, Matt stepped into the hallway and took Jeff into his arms.

"I'm here, little bro." He whispered softly, his own dark eyes beginning to fill with his own tears..

It felt good for Jeff to have someone to cry to, or with. Matt held him, in much the same way Jeff had held Eric only a short time ago, and let him get the bawl du jour out of his system.

"Why, Matty, why?" Jeff wailed into Matt's chest.

"Jeff, I dunno." Matt was dealing with his own feelings of guilt and abandonment. His last conversation with Eric was an argument which ending with Matt being thrown out of Eric's hospital room. If only he'd handled it differently, if only he hadn't lost his temper... if only... if only... if only...

"I want him back! Matty, bring him back pleeeeeeease!" Jeff cried even harder.

"Jeffro, I wish I could..." Matt was speechless. "but Eric's gone. Nobody can bring him back. They tried, remember?"

Flashback

Jeff had a whale of a time trying to get his Skittles from the candy machine. It just wouldn't take his dollar bill. But he was not going to give up on his favorite bite-size candy.

"Having problems, hun?" An older matron came over to him.

"Machine doesn't like me." Jeff sulked

"It can be a little temperamental sometime." She took the bill from Jeff and slid it into the slot. It accepted it first try. "There you go!"

Jeff pounded the button and was rewarded with a bag of the treats. He was happy, skipping back to Eric's room when he heard the bell.

"Code blue... code blue... trauma team to room 222... stat... code blue!"

Jeff dropped the candy. It went everywhere, but Jeff just stared at the door as doctors rushed into the room he'd vacated only moments ago. Jeff followed. It was a madhouse. People were everywhere, shouting.

"I can't get a pulse..."

"He's stroking out!"

"Charge to three-sixty... clear!"

"Nothing.... no rhythm..."

"Again... clear... dammit!"

"He's flatlining..."

"One amp of epi... charging three-sixty!"

"Epi in..."

"Clear!"

...

"Clear!"

"Nothing..."

"How long has been down?"

"Thirty-seven minutes, doctor."

"How much Epi?"

"Two amps. Should I give him another?"

"No... time of death nine-oh-seven... is the family here?"

"His boyfriend is waiting in the hall."

"This is the part of the job that I hate."

Flash forward

Matt had been sitting on the couch with Jeff for almost two hours, trying anything to soothe him. Not even his trusty bunny had been able to console him, and Matt was out of ideas. How one person could have that much anguish inside him after all this time... Jeff hadn't been upset for this long when their mom passed away.

"Jeff, I know it's hard, but we are gonna get through this. Somehow." Matt whispered the last words when he heard Jeff sigh. He'd finally drifted off.

"This is my fault, Jeffro. And I'm gonna make it up to you if it's the last thing I do." He stroked Jeff's hair, much like he'd done when they were growing up and Jeff would have a nightmare or during a storm. This time, it was not to calm Jeff, but to soothe his own nerves. He soon dozed off as well.

"Dammit, what the hell is going on here!" Vince slammed his fist into the table. "You're supposed to be the best private investigators money can buy and yet, you can't even come up with a shred of evidence! What am I paying you for!"

"Mr. McMahon, we're doing our best, but unless we can get some subpoenas, the doctors aren't talking a whole lot and no one else seems to have seen anything out of the ordinary!"

"That's not good enough!" Vince bellowed "I want answers and fast! I am not going to sit here while someone gets away with murder!"

"Sir, there is no proof that this was anything but a stroke!"

Vince's face turned dark red. He looked like he was going to burst a bllod vessel. "I'll believe that when my ass becomes drummer for Motley Crue! Eric went into the hospital for treatment for burns... tell me how does he suddenly suffer a fatal stroke? An act of God! Get out there and find me some answers or I will hire some people who can!"

The investigators filed out of the office. Vince took several deep breaths, slowly calming down. Having his own fatal attack wasn't going to help Eric. Once his blood pressure had dropped below 300, he dialed one of his old friends who was now a circuit judge.

"May I speak to Judge Hat please... it's Vince McMahon... Yes, I'll hold."

"Toppum? It's Vince... I need a favour..."

...

"What the fuck... you can't do this to me! I'll fuckin' sue all of you!" Adam shouted as he was literally being carried to a waiting police car. Thanks to Vince's connection, he'd finagled one of his friends into signing warrants and material witness orders for the on-call staff that night as well as all their notes and Eric's medical records. This had enabled his crack investigative team to quickly piece together what had happened and days later, a warrant was issued for Adam's arrest, as well as that of his aunt.

The one thing Vince hated was that the police showed up to arrest Adam during a taping of Smackdown! Why they couldn't have either waited until after the show was done or taken care of it before the cameras started rolling was something that even the All-Powerful Vincent Kennedy McMahon could not control.

"The people are gonna think this is a part of the show!" Vince grumbled when confronted with the arrest papers.

"We have no control over that! Now where is Mr. Copeland?"

Vince pointed to a monitor. "He's in the middle of a match right now."

"We can wait until he returned to the backstage area if you wish, but that is the best we can do... we are taking him into custody tonight."

"If you can wait until he finishes his match I would appreciate it. I'm already taking heat over this whole situation."

"Understood."

Poor Adam. First he loses a match to the Big Show, then he's arrested the second he gets off-camera.

"Adam Copeland?"

"Yeah, who wants to know?" Edge gasped, winded from being thrown around by Show.

"Sergeant Claude Lavelle. I have a warrant for your arrest in the murder of Eric Stryker... you have the right to remain silent. If you give up that right, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney present. If you cannot afford one, one will be appointed to you by the court. Do you understand your rights as read?"

"What the hell? Is this your doing Vince?" Adam shouted at the Chairman, who had left his office to witness this. In all his years running the company, he'd never had one of his guys legitimately taken away.

"You brought this on yourself." Vince said

"I'll get you! I'll get all of you! You haven't heard the last from me!" Adam continued his rants as he was cuffed, patted down, and stuffed into the back of the car. It was almost kind of funny, especially when the officer frisking Edge asked him if he had anything sharp on him.

"Where would I hide it?" Adam retorted

"Could you strip search him here?" Ashley giggled

"Sorry ma'am." The officer even cracked a smile. Adam looked less than pleased.

"Very funny, you slut!" Adam lunged for the diva, but was rudely yanked bank by the officer.

Once Adam was taken away, Vince called a meeting with the entire roster and explained the situation in great detail to everyone, glossing over some of the less-than-necessary graphic details.

"Adam did what?" Was one of the more repeated comments. Everyone did know about Adam's infatuation with Jeff, but murder was something that very few figured Adam would stoop to.

"The police may want to talk to many of you. I expect your full cooperation!" Vince concluded "That's it... we're done."

The wrestlers filed out, many of them disturbed by what they just heard.

"Fuck, I really screwed up." John was slamming himself.

"You psychic all of a sudden? How were you supposed to know what was gonna go down?." Triple H replied "Adam would've found a way, even if you had stuck around."

"Thanks H, but I let 'em all down." John answered "I promised, remember."

"We all did. It's no more your fault, then it is mine, or anyone else's. C'mon, I know someone who needs a drink."

...

"Jeff, you look fine." Matt stood behind his brother, who kept reknotting his tie.

"I don't wanna do this, Matty!"

"None of us do."

With Adam's incarceration fresh on everyone's mind, WWE personnel turned their attention to a much more somber affair: Eric's funeral. The investigation had necessitated a delay in burying the late superstar, but today was the day the entire company was going to finally get a chance to say goodbye to him.

Matt drove them to the church. Normally the most outgoing person on the roster, Jeff had been on a downward spiral into himself since Eric's death. He was a shell of his former persona. Gone was the many coloured hair, the flamboyant personality, the outrageous fashion. It was as if the canvas that was Jeff Hardy had been wiped clean and it was being repainted, almost on a daily basis.

"I can't go through with this. Don't make me!" Jeff leaned back in the seat, fresh tears starting to fall.

How one person could have that much anguish inside him made Matt realize how tight their connection had been.

"And I tried to break that up! How fucking stupid was I?" It seemed like everyone was blaming themselves in some way for the tragedy of the past week.

"Jeffro, you've got to be strong. We all do." Matt hugged his brother tightly. At first, Jeff seemed to shun the contact, but once Matt persisted, Jeff didn't want to leave his brother's arms.

Matt stayed by his brother's side through the entire ceremony, even Jeff's eulogy. Matt's hand never left Jeff's shoulder while he spoke, quite eloquently about his relationship with Eric. He lost his composure a couple times, but on both occasions Matt was there, holding him.

After Jeff, many others spoke of Eric's loyalty, friendship, selflessness, and his willingness to put those he cared about first. Noticeable by his absence, though, was John Cena. For all his macho-ness, is that a word?, he just couldn't do it. He could not face anyone. The drinks with Triple H had done nothing to lessen his guilty feelings. His plan was to arrive just before the ceremony, take a seat at the back, and get it over with as quickly as feasible. His feet just refused to cooperate, so he stood outside, pacing like a nervous groom.

By the time the church door opened, John's feet had finally started to work, and he commanded them to take him to the nearest watering hole, where he spent the rest of the day getting bombed.

ECW Television Taping...

The locker room much more crowded than usual. At the request of the District Attorney, Vince kept as much of his roster together as possible, to make it easier to interview them rather than trying to find different wrestlers in different cities. Cena had just finished a gruelling chat with one of the lead detectives and looked forward to getting back to his hotel. As he passed catering, he saw Matt and Jeff talking. They both gave him a funny look as he passed. Yes, he'd been avoiding them, but since they all worked for the same organization, it was impossible not to run into either of them at some point.

"Hey, Cena, you got a second?" Matt called after him.

"Hey dude. I'm exhausted. I just get back to my hotel and crash." It was a lame excuse, since he wasn't scheduled to appear on that particular show.

"This won't take long." He was approached by both Matt and Jeff.

"We didn't see you at Eric's funeral."

"Yeah, well.." John knew they knew about his no-show, but that didn't make it any easier to talk about. He kept looking nervously around, shuffling from one foot to another.

"C'mon." Each taking an arm, Matt and Jeff led John into an empty storage room.

Matt leaned against a disused filing cabinet while Jeff sat on some old boxes. John hoped this wasn't gonna turn into something.

"Better? We know how private you are, Cena."

"Damn skippy."

"But we didn't see you at the church." Jeff interjected. Since the funeral, Jeff's emotional state had stabilized a little. He was still very introverted, but was less likely to break down at the smallest thing.

"Y'know, guys, don't take this the wrong way, but I just couldn't do it..." John's voice faded when he looked into the Hardys' faces. He expected anger, resentment, disappointment, but all he saw was compassion, friendship, and understanding.

"John, we're not blaming you for anything..."

Upon hearing that, and for the first time in years, Cena's iron facade cracked. "Yeah, well I am!" It sounded like he was cutting a promo. "I made a promise to you and Eric and I let the both of you down!" He looked down.

Matt looked at Jeff, who nodded slightly. Matt took the cue to walk over to Cena and take his face in his hands.

"It was no one person's fault... we can all take the blame if we want to play that game. Jeff for the Skittles, me for letting Eric throw me out of his room, or you for leaving. We're a family John, remember that... you hurt, we hurt."

John suddenly found himself in the midst of a double hug from both Hardy brothers.

"Feel better?" Jeff asked

"Not really." John answered. Matt's words hadn't done a whole lot to ease his conscience.

"How about this then?" Jeff gently kissed him. It was nothing big, just a small peck on the cheek. "We love you and we hate seeing you like this."

John was perplexed. Jeff's lips felt so soft on his cheek, like velvet, but he was a guy after all. John had never kissed, or been kissed, by another guy since he was ten. Why did part of him enjoy the brief contact?

He rubbed where he'd been kissed.

"Johnny, you're blushing." Matt smirked

"I think he liked it." Jeff added

"No, it's not that... is it hot in here?" John felt his face go red.

"It's gettin' hot in here... so take off all our clothes..." For some reason those lyrics popped into John's mind, making him blush an ever deeper shade of red.

"I'm getting a little overheated myself." Matt answered, tugging at the neckline of his t-shirt.

"Me too." Jeff went a little farther, pulling his wifebeater off and tossing it to parts (of the room) unknown.

"Whoa, guys, I'm not..." John could see what was going to happen. In spite of his earlier enjoyment, he was not ready to become the filling in a meatball sandwich.

"We know. Just think of this as the two of us telling you how much we care." Matt's shirt had also come off.

John backed away until he felt the cold steel of the door against him. He was boxed in, with two hungry shirtless men getting closer by the second.

"Matt... Jeff... "

"Sometimes you just gotta go with what feels good." Matt said and then they were both on him, gently nipping at his face, his ears, his neck, and any other parts that were exposed.

They pulled him to the floor, where the gentle torture continued. John hated himself for giving in, but Matt was right. This actually felt damn good.

"Why does he still have all his clothes on?" Jeff asked innocently.

"I dunno, bro. He's usually the first one naked after the show..." Matt responded

"Yeah." Jeff laughed "And the last one dressed."

Without another word, Matt and Jeff continued their assault on Cena, who found what little resolve he had gone in seconds, not to mention his clothes.

"Thanks for the offer guys, but I really can't do this." John scrambled away.

"Well, that's a first." Matt replied "You're always doing nice stuff for the rest of us when we're down, but you won't let us do the same for you when you're feeling bad."

"There's a difference, dogs. I don't try to get with them!" John hastily threw his gear back on and was out the door without another word. Although he was mildly uncomfortable with what they'd obviously wanted to do, part of him was glad that they cared enough to try to help him that way.

"Matty, can we stay here a bit?" Jeff crawled into his brother's arms, a position he often found himself in now that Eric was gone.

"We could, but we don't want to get locked in, bro. Besides, if we don't get back to the hotel, Bunny is gonna worry!"

At the mention of bunny, Jeff's eyes lit up. "Yay! Bunny!" He ran out of the storage area, still shirtless. At least Matt put his shirt on before he left.

...

Adam paced nervously in his holding cell. Hey, he'd seen every episode of "OZ". He knew that pretty boys like him didn't last too long without being claimed as someone's bitch, so he stayed put as much as he could; only going out for meals and occasional exercise period.

One of the C.O.'s banged on the door. "You've got a visitor!"

This was unusual. The only person who had come to see Adam was his attorney and they weren't scheduled to meet until later that day. The guard escorted Adam to the room. He waited, hoping this wasn't a set-up. To his knowledge, no one had ever been attacked here, but who knew?

The door to outside finally opened and a familiar face entered.

"Jay!" Adam sighed, picking up the phone.

"Hey, bro, how they treating you in here?" Jay demanded

"Like a criminal." Adam answered. It was meant to be a joke, but failed.

"You are, dude." Jay stated the obvious.

"That reeks." Adam replied

"Yeah." It seemed like Jay was very uncomfortable in his surroundings.

"What's new on the outside?" Adam was just grateful for the companionship. "Anything?"

"Not a whole lot. Work is a mess right now. Police are crawling all over us, trying to make this case against you."

"So I've been told." Adam tried to sound like he wasn't worried, but from conversations with his lawyer, he knew that the case against him was strong.

"Just wanted to let you know I'm still on your side, dude." Jay said "No matter what happens."

"Thanks. Friends rule!"

"So totally!" Their regression to E & C valley boy days brought a smile to Adam's face, something that had been lacking since being taken away.

"Anyway, dude, I gotta get going. Vince doesn't know I'm here and I don't think he'd like it too much if he found out."

"Your secret is safe." Adam replied

"Awesome. I will see you later." Jay left and not two minutes later, his lawyer walked in.

"Okay, Mr, Copeland... I'll make this short. We go to trial on Monday!"

"Monday? That fast?" Adam gulped

"The District Attorney has made a good case. I'm not going to coat it. We're in for a fight, especially if I can't suppress some of the medical records they're looking to introduce."

"Are you trying to scare me?"

"No. I deal in facts, Mr. Copeland. Be prepared for the worst because anything less will fuck us both up. I'll be back later today for our regular meeting."

With that, he too departed. Adam sat, staring at the phone in disbelief. Until now, it had all seemed like a bad dream, one that he could wake up from. But now, and as Monday loomed ominously, he seemed like he might never see the light of day again.

That one word: Monday...

**TO BE CONTINUED**

_In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups... the police who investigate crimes and the District Attorneys who prosecute the offenders. This is their story.. boom boom_

_Sorry, fans, I didn't want to, but I had to!  
_


	4. Chapter 4

Trial By Fire

"All rise, court is now in session. The Honorable Edward Hanson presiding..."

Monday morning. Ten o'clock. On one side of the courtroom sat Adam with his lawyer and his few supporters. On the other side sat the Assistant District Attorney, Adam DeSantos with his second, the lovely, but tough, Anna Kincaid. Behind him sat many of the WWE superstars that were not being used as witnesses.

"Good morning. Is everyone ready to proceed?"

"We are, Your Honor." Both lawyers said simultaneously.

"Let's begin."

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is what we call an open and shut case. You will hear testimony that earlier this year Adam Copeland did cause the death of Eric Stryker, a former co-worker and rival for the affections of one Jeff Hardy. You will hear expert testimony to how this was carried out, and we ask that you do justice to his memory by finding the defendant guilty of the crime of murder of the first degree."

"Mr. Harper?"

"The Defense waives it's right to an opening statement at this time." Adam's lawyer half-stood to address the court.

"Very well. Proceed, Mr. DeSantos."

"The State calls Dr. Caroline Olivet."

Once she was sworn in and her qualifications were stated for the record...

"You did examine the body of the deceased, one Eric Stryker?"

"I did." She replied

"And what were you findings as it relates to the cause of death?"

"The deceased suffered a massive stroke."

"And what could have possibly caused that?" DeSantos referred to his notes. He'd prepped the witness himself, so he already knew what the answer was. He just did this to make it seem spontaneous.

"In my opinion, an air bubble entered his blood stream and went to his brain, causing the stroke."

"Nothing, further, Your Honor."

Adam's lawyer, stood, staring at something he'd scribbled on his yellow legal pad. "Doctor Olivet, correct me if I'm wrong, but was the decedent already being treated for first and second degree burns when he died?"

"Correct."

"Now. Is it possible, that something else caused his fatal stroke? Say, maybe a blood clot?"

"It is possible, but..."

"Or maybe an allergic reaction to his medication?" Harper pressed her.

"Like I said, it is possible.."

"Thank-you, nothing further."

The rest of the morning was taken up with testimony from the crime scene investigators, both from the police department and those hired by Vince McMahon, who went step by step through their investigations of the crime scene, the evidence they collected, and their conclusions. It all added up to a pretty damning conviction of Adam.

"I think now is a good time for the lunch break. Court will adjourn in one hour."

Spectators and lawyers alike filed out of the courtroom, while Adam was escorted back to holding.

"How'd it go?" Jeff asked

"So far, so good." DeSantos answered "We took a little hit on cause of death, but it's nothing we can't fix in closing. Just be ready... you're up first after lunch."

"I'm ready." Jeff swallowed nervously

"I'm sure you are..."

"The State calls Jeffrey Hardy."

Jeff took his seat and was sworn in.

"State your name for the record."

"Jeffrey Nero Hardy."

"And your occupation."

"Sports entertainer." Jeff answered

DeSantos like to throw a few easy questions at his witnesses to put them a little more at ease when they first took the stand.

"And you first met the deceased when?"

"It must have been in May of last year." Jeff replied, chewing his lower lip.

"What'd you think of him?" DeSantos leaned on the stand and looked into the gallery, like Eric was sitting right there.

"I dunno. He was arrogant, stuck-up, a little conceited..."

"But..."

"I feel in love with him the first time I laid eyes on him." Jeff blushed, remembering the day in question.

"It was something special, wasn't it?"

"Yeah... until he took it all away from me!"

"Objection... assumes facts not in evidence." Harper interrupted

"Sustained. The jury will disregard."

DeSantos continued unabashed. "You've known the defendant, Adam Copeland, for quite along time, haven't you?"

"About ten years." Jeff replied "We sorta came into the business at the same time."

"And what was your relationship with him?"

"We had our differences, but we were always friends."

"Did you know that he had romantic feelings for you?" DeSantos was still leaning against the witness' box, like a child hearing a favorite story.

"Who didn't?" Jeff barked "I mean, he tried to hide it so badly, but everyone knew."

"And you did nothing to encourage him, correct?"

"Not a thing. I told Edge... I mean, Adam that I was happy with Eric and I still wanted to be friends, but that was it." Jeff sat back. "I thought he understood."

"Objection! This witness is not qualified to discuss what may or may not have been going on in my client's head."

'I'll rephrase. Did the defendant give you any indication that he had a problem with you and Eric being together?"

"No."

"What were his exact words, if you can remember them?"

"I believe he said, `Ok, sure, whatever'." Jeff stated

"And what did you take that to mean?"

"I thought that meant everything was cool between us. All of us." Jeff answered

"Thank-you. Nothing further."

"Your witness."

"Thank-you. Mister Hardy, you said you did nothing to encourage my client to pursue you, is that correct?"

"Yes."

"Could you please explain what happened at the Christmas party last year?"

"I don't understand..."

"I have statements from people at that party that say you got drunk."

"We tipped a few. So what?"

"But, according to these, you got so drunk, you took of all your clothes and ran through the hotel with a lampshade on your head!"

"Clothes are evil." Jeff replied

"I see. Do you remember where you woke up?" Harper smiled

Jeff thought hard. What had happened that night? "No, I don't."

"Would it surprise you to learn that you burst into my client's hotel room and passed out in his bed?"

"I could see where that might cause some confusion..."

"And that you nuzzled against him for the entire night?"

"Now that I don't remember." Jeff replied, hesitation creeping into his voice.

"I suggest to you, Sir, that you had been sending out mixed signals, even after supposedly claiming to my client that you just wanted to be friends!" Harper shouted

"If he had a problem, why didn't he say something, instead of all this?" Jeff retorted

"You have been leading my client on like a lost puppy. Considering you didn't even know who you wanted to be with most of the time, how could Mr. Copeland?"

"I loved Eric." Jeff stared at his lap, a tear forming in his eye.

"I'm sure you do. That doesn't excuse what you did." Harper was making it sound like Jeff encouraged Adam, maybe even suggested that he do something. "Nothing further."

Jeff left the stand, obviously shaken.

"The state calls Matthew Hardy." DeSantos said

After going through the same process with Matt as he had Jeff... stating his name, occupation, et cetera, they got down to the meat of his testimony.

"Before the defense decides to make you look bad, let's get it out in open... you also had feeling of a romantic nature toward the deceased, did you not?"

"Not to the extent my brother Jeff did." Matt replied "In fact, I stepped back when I realized how serious Jeff was about him."

"But you did attempt something recently, did you not?" Obviously, he was referring to the incident in the motel room in Philadelphia.

"Yes, I did." Matt explained his role in the entire sting.

"But this was not your plan, was it?"

"No. After I realized what everyone else thought about the Eric and Jeff situation..."

"Explain." DeSantos interrupted

"Well, Eric was probably one of the last people whom anyone would expect to get involved in this sort of a thing..."

"You mean same-sex?" DeSantos needed Matt to spell it out.

"Yeah." Matt agreed "And Jeff had this great plan for what he called his 'one year of happiness'... he was gonna disappear and then send Eric chasing after him with just clues to follow."

"Okay. But something happened, right?"

"Yep. Eric started doubting both himself and his relationship."

"Tell the court when this started, if you know."

"Right after he went back to Cameron. The first clue sent Eric to our family's farm. I wasn't there, but I heard my Dad really ripped into Eric. It wasn't that he didn't approve of Eric's relationship, he just didn't like the way Eric wouldn't acknowledge it in public, but I guess that wasn't Eric's way..."

Matt continued for the next five minutes, relating the tale of what had happened in the mall, and everything else.

"And what happened in the arena?"

"Well, Jeff had hung the next clue from a catwalk at the top. When Eric went to get it..."

"This is when the defendant first talked to you about this idea of his, correct?"

"Right. While Eric is climbing, Adam, the defendant, turned to me and said something like "You know, if you got with Eric, I could get with Jeff..."

"That's a lie, Hardy, and you know it!" Adam stood

The judge banged his gavel. "The defendant will sit down. Any more outbursts and he will be removed from the courtroom."

Harper pulled Adam back to his seat.

"And you went along with this. Why?"

"I don't know why I agreed with it." Matt looked sullen. "It was a mistake. I screwed up my friendship with all of them."

"All of them?"

"Yeah, Adam cut me off, Eric refused to talk to me, and Jeff wouldn't even acknowledge me in public, unless it was work-related." Matt answered

"And what would you say was the defendant's mind-set during this time. Did he say anything to you about what he hoped the outcome was going to be?"

"Did he. He wouldn't shut up about it! How the four of us were going to be happy... me with Eric and him with Jeff, and how nothing was going to change that." Matt stared Adam dead-on.

"Nothing further."

"Mr. Hardy. It has been mentioned that you had feelings for Eric, yet you admitted that you stepped back, as you said, to allow your brother to pursue it himself... how do you explain these actions... I have a tape I wish to play for the court... defense exhibit one."

Harper showed the tape of the match on Eric's final night with the company.

"It would appear to me that you were willing to sacrifice everything for him. Is that what you call stepping back?" Harper seemed smug.

"No."

"No?" Harper repeated, like he'd misheard Matt. "Then what would you call it?"

"Scripted. That was all part of the show." Matt answered "As you'd probably know if you'd done your research. Everything we do in the ring is written beforehand."

Realizing this had failed, Harper changed his attack. "You are here testifying for the prosecution today... why?"

"I want to see justice done." Matt replied

"Is that the only reason?" Harper probed

"What do you mean?"

"Is it not true that the only reason you're on the stand is that the prosecution threatened to drop any charges they were planning to lay against you for the attempted rape of your brother!"

The jury gasped. The crowd gasped. The oxygen level dropped ten per cent in the courtroom.

"And is it not true that this whole plan was not my clients, but yours! It had nothing to do with my client getting what he wanted, but all about you getting what you wanted, namely the deceased. And when you realized that he wouldn't get with you, you decided to get rid of him!"

"That's a lie." Matt hissed "I would never..."

"You wouldn't... then why would you willing pin your own brother down to allow my client to get with him. If you weren't a part of this, like you'd like us to believe, then shouldn't you have stood up for him from the beginning! Well, Mr. Hardy, what do you have to say for that?"

Matt was speechless.

"I thought so. Nothing further for this witness, Your Honor." Looking triumphant, Harper returned to his table. Despite his early setback, he seemed to have recovered nicely to put some serious wear on Matt's testimony.

Matt calmly walked from the courtroom. Once he was out in the hall, all the air went out of him and he collapsed on a bench.

"How'd it go Matty?" Jeff asked

"That idiot lawyer tried to make it seem like it was all my idea. You know I wouldn't hurt you like that, right?"

"Of course." Jeff plopped down beside him. "Skittle?"

"Thanks."

"Your Honour, at this time, the state calls John Cena to the stand."

John came forward and was sworn in.

"We've heard some interesting stories so far today. As someone on the outside of all of this, maybe you can give us an objective opinion. How would you describe the relationship between Jeff and Eric?"

"Jeff was totally committed to Eric. There's nothing he wouldn't've done for him." John responded

"And Eric."

"The same. Those two were made for each other."

"And Adam?"

"Sheesh. Everyone in the locker room knows that he'd had a hard-on for him since day one. I don't know why he didn't say something sooner." John replied

"To the best of your recollection, did Jeff do anything to encourage the defendant?"

"You got it all wrong, yo. If anything, Jeff kept pushing him back. I think Adam wasn't thinkin' with his brain, if you get my meaning." John had unintentionally slipped back into character. The few wrestling fans in the gallery laughed. The judge soon put an end to that, however.

"We heard testimony that Jeff may have brought some of this on at the recent Christmas party. You were there. How did you see it?"

"I always thought whatever happened at the Christmas party stayed at the Christmas party... but we got a little silly. What the hell, it was open bar." John commented "Yeah, Jeff got naked and ran through the hotel. So what? It was all in fun."

"And sleeping in the defendant's bed."

"The way I saw it was Jeff just went into the wrong room. He and Eric were staying in 423, Adam was in 432. Easy mistake to make, y'all." John answered

"Would you make that mistake?"

"If I'd had that much to drink, probably."

"No further questions."

"So, let me see if I got this right. You dropped Jeff off at the hospital and then took off, correct?"

"No. I went as far as Eric's room. When I saw that Matt was already there, I left."

"Did you not have an agreement with both the decedent that you would keep an eye on Jeff?"

"Yes, but like i just said..."

"So why would you leave a man you had sworn to protect, alone in a room with someone whom you knew was probably involved?"

"That's where you're wrong, Jack. I didn't know what Matt's story was. I knew he and Jeff had been on the outs for a while, but when I saw they was those two hugged, I figured everything was cool, you know what I mean?"

"Mister Cena, where were you when the victim was murdered?" Harper changed his horse in mid-stream yet again.

"Driving to the airport."

"Can anyone vouch for you?" Harper asked, a gleam in his eye.

"I dunno, man. I usually drive alone." John answered

"So, basically, you have no witnesses to account for the time between when you say you left the hospital until you arrived at the airport, correct."

"I guess. If you think that I would hurt anyone like that, you're wrong." John pounded the stand.

"Your flight left at eleven a.m., the last time anyone saw you was at nine. It's a fifteen minute drive to the airport... so where were you for the other hour and forty-five minutes? Longer, if you consider that your flight left half-an-hour late. I suggest to you that it would've been easy for you to hang around the hallway, see that both Jeff and Matt left shortly after you did, pop back in, and do in Mr. Stryker and still be at the airport with plenty of time to catch your flight!"

"No. That didn't happen!" John shouted

"I didn't say it did! I just said it could've. Nothing further."

The prosecution's last witness was Show, who basically testified to what he'd seen in the corridor involving Jeff and the Edgeheads.

"Just one question, Mr. Wight. Do you have concrete evidence that my client ordered those two young men to attempt to kidnap Jeff?"

"No, sir, I don't... but..."

"That is all."

"At this time, the prosecution rests." DeSantos stood

"I think this would be a good time to adjourn for the day. Will the defense be ready to present its case tomorrow?"

"Yes, we will."

"Then court is adjourned until nine o'clock tomorrow. The defendant is remanded into custody." Judge banged his gavel.

The spectators filed out. DeSantos and his assistant were the last to leave. In the hall, they were confronted by the Hardys.

"How'd it go?" Only being witness to their own testimony, both were anxious to hear what the led attorney thought.

"I think we made our case. A couple of minor snags, but nothing to worry about. I am curious to see if Harper has any tricks up his sleeve. I will see you both tomorrow."

"Thank-you sir." Matt answered

DeSantos nodded.

"Wanna get dinner or go to the hotel?" Matt asked

"Room service?" Jeff pleaded

"Okay. I gotta piss first." Matt said

"Me too."

Entering the men's room, they found John Cena, staring at the mirror, which had been broken, probably by a fist. Who's fist? It was obvious who's fist it had been by the blood oozing some several lacs on John's right hand.

"What the fuck, Cena, you okay?" Matt asked, his need to urinate suddenly diminished.

"What do you think?"

"Something you wanna talk about?" Matt went to put his arm around him, but Cena batted him away.

"No." He groused

"Okay. Fine with me." Matt took his place at the urinal. When both Hardys had finished their call of nature, John finally spoke.

"That idiot defense lawyer made it seem like I killed Eric." He said. It was obvious now what had triggered the mild psychotic episode.

"He was just doing his job, John." Jeff snuggled up to him, and wouldn't let him push him aside, no matter how hard he tried. "Don't take it so hard."

"I hate bein' played like that." John pounded the sink, sending droplets of blood flying everywhere.

"We're goin' back to get some room service. Wanna come? We promise no funny stuff!" Jeff offered, adding the last bit when John gave him a strange look. "It'll just be the four of us."

"Four?" John looked suspicious.

"Yeah, you, me, Matty, and Bunny!" Jeff sang "We'll have a party!"

"Don't that rabbit have a curfew?" John asked

"When she goes to bed, we'll just have to be quiet. Y'know... watch a movie or somethin'?"

"Sure." John acquiesced

"Let's get your hand bandaged up and maybe we can even get out of here without getting burned for the mirror." Matt wrapped John's oozing mitt with paper towels.

With his hand securely in his pocket, John made it out of the bathroom without incident, Matt and Jeff close behind. Reading body language, you could see that John was still angry, but under control.

Back in their suite, Matt did a better job of cleaning John's hand. Thankfully, no glass had become embedded in it, so it was a simple matter of washing out the wound and putting some band-aids on. While he did this, Jeff alternated between playing with Bunny, surfing the television, and ordering room service.

When the food and wine arrived, they dove in.

"Uh, guys, before we get too gorged, I'd like to make a toast." John held his glass up. "To Eric."

Matt and Jeff looked at John, then each other.

"I guess you really do have emotions. To Eric." Matt clinked his glass.

"Yeah. To Eric." Jeff raised his and Bunny's glass. Don't ask why Bunny was drinking, but I guess she was of age.

"But if you tell anyone, I'll deny it." John laughed

"Don't worry. Your secret is safe." Matt replied

To Eric....

**TO BE CONTINUED**

_How will defense do? It seems pretty clear to me that Adam did it, but then again I'm writing this stuff!_

_Reviews are always welcome!_

_P.S. I didn't realize Eric had such a fan base! My e-mail has been filling up!  
_


	5. Chapter 5

In My Own Defense

"Is the defense ready to proceed?"

"Yes, Your Honor. The defense calls Adam Joseph Copeland to the stand."

Edge took his seat and was sworn in.

"Mr. Copeland. Let's go back to the beginning. You've known the recently-deceased for how long?"

"Less than a year." Adam replied "Exactly how long I don't know."

"Less than a year. Had you formulated any opinions regarding him?"

"I thought he was a nice guy. A little arrogant sometimes."

"And how about his sexual preference. Did he ever give any indication that he might be gay?" Harper asked

"Objection! Characterization!"

"Sustained. Please rephrase the question." Judge Hanson interjected

"Did Mr. Stryker ever tell you that he liked men in a sexual way?" Harper reworded his question. It still sounded like a characterization to DeSantos, but he decided against objecting again.

"Not to me." Adam answered

"So it came as a shock to you when you learned that he and Jeff hardy were together."

"A little."

"Even though you had been harboring a secret desire for Mr. Hardy for years?"

"I guess it made me realize that some things weren't meant to be. I moved on."

"So it was never your intention to attempt a relationship with Jeff, one way or the other?" Harper probed a little deeper.

"Not a chance. I haven't had the best luck with relationships, but I know when I don't stand a hope in hell."

"So, we heard testimony about statements you apparently made. Do you deny making them?" Harper queried

"Those statements were taken out of context. I was speaking hypothetically when I said, if Matt hooked up with Eric, I could hook up with Jeff. I didn't mean it. If anything, Eric made the first move."

"Explain."

Adam briefly summarized his encounter with Eric in the hotel that night in Philadelphia.

"And did you draw any conclusions from this?"

"I thought that maybe, given what had happened earlier, that Eric and Jeff were having troubles. I thought that maybe there was a chance, but I wasn't going to do anything impetuous."

"So you deny doing anything to eliminate Eric from the competition?"

"Yes." Adam answered emphatically.

"What about Hawkins and Ryder and their apparent kidnapping attempt?"

"I'm not their father! Maybe they thought they could get back into my good graces with a stunt like that."

"At no point did you tell either of them to bring Jeff to you?"

"Correct?"

"And hanging a stuffed rabbit belonging to Jeff?"

"I guess it was somebody's idea of a practical joke. We do that to each other all the time." Adam explained

"Thank-you. One last question. Did you have anything to do with the explosion that put the deceased into the hospital or the tragedy that unfolded later?"

"Nothing whatsoever." Adam said

"Liar." Jeff whispered

"Nothing further."

"Your Witness, Mr DeSantos."

"Mr. Copeland... Adam, I wonder if you can clarify one or two things for me. Did Eric suspect that you wanted his lover for your own?"

"I don't think so. I never told him."

"Why not? Don't you think it would've been better to come out and say 'Look, I don't want to cut in, but lately I've been having these feelings...' Wouldn't that have been a good idea instead of letting it fester?"

"In hindsight, maybe." Adam said "But we all know that is 20/20."

"And the explosion?"

"All I did was tell Matt to stick a sign on his steering wheel that said BOOM! How was I supposed to know that something was going to happen!"

"Just another psychotic fan, you mean?"

"Could be." Adam answered "I wasn't there."

"Or maybe it was the work of someone who wanted Eric out of the way?"

"I know what you're thinking, and I didn't do it!" Adam shouted

"And afterward, at the hospital. You deny you were there?"

"I was nowhere near the place. I spent the entire night in my hotel room." Adam stated

"It is just a coincidence that one of the nurses on-duty that night happened to be your aunt, is that correct?"

"I dunno. I haven't seen her for years."

"Admit it... you arranged this whole thing. You sent your friends to capture Jeff Hardy, in the hopes that you would be able to start something!"

"No!"

"You enlisted Matt to set up the explosion..."

"No!"

"And then you had your aunt sneak you in to the burn ward, where the lethal injection was administered!"

"No! I would never!"

"And just exactly were you trying to do when you and Matt attacked Jeff in Eric's home...? Show him how much you loved him?"

"I dunno. I guess I wasn't thinking clearly."

"I guess. It seems like a strange way to show your love for someone... attempted rape!"

"Objection! Is there a question here?" Harper stood, angrily pointing at the prosecuting attorney.

"Sustained. Save the conjecture for closing arguments, please."

"How did it make you feel when you were served the restraining order? Angry? Annoyed? Betrayed?"

"Yeah, sure."

"But you were angry, weren't you?" DeSantos softened his tone. "I mean, here's a guy you've lusted after for years, and now you can't even touch him, right?"

"I guess. I never actually read it."

"I have here a copy of the restraining order I'd like to introduce into evidence as people's next in sequence."

"So entered."

"Please read the highlighted portion aloud."

"The defendant, Adam Copeland is hereby ordered to maintain a minimal distance of 500 feet from the complainants, and shall not endeavor to make contact with, or by any means thereof, including letters, electronic mail, or any other means of communication unless under the guidelines set forward by this court, unless in the presence of two (2) witnesses acceptable to both parties..."

"And who signed this?"

"Jeffrey N Hardy."

"I guess he really wanted to get with you, huh? Nothing further." DeSantos stood down

"The witness is excused."

Adam stepped down, looking defeated, as did his lawyer.

"Does the defense have anything else to offer?"

"No, Your Honor. The Defense rests."

"Anything further, Mr. DeSantos?"

"The state calls Carol Copeland to the stand as a rebuttal witness."

The onlookers gasped in surprise. Adam went white when his aunt, trying to look unaffected, took the stand and was sworn in.

"Mrs. Copeland, you are the defendant's aunt, correct."

"That is correct." She replied

"And what do you do for a living?"

"Right now, nothing." She responded "I am currently incarcerated."

"Well, what did you do before that?"

"I was a registered nurse."

"And you worked here, in town, at St. Bethany's, correct?"

She nodded.

"You'll have to answer for the record, please." Judge Hanson looked down, solemnly.

"That is also correct."

"And did you work all over the hospital, or were your duties primarily in one area?"

"I was primarily in charge of the burn unit."

"And what would your duties entail, typically?"

"I would be responsible for changing dressings, and generally making sure that the patients were made as comfortable as possible."

"Did that include the administration of drugs?"

"Routinely, yes."

"On the night in question, were you in charge of a patient by the name of Eric Stryker?"

"Yes, I was. He came in with burns to his arms, hands, and face, shortly after my shift began." She answered

"When did you first come in contact with him?"

"After his wounds had been cleaned and wrapped, he was brought into the recovery ward."

"And what did you do then?" DeSantos asked

"My instructions were to make the patient as comfortable as possible."

"Were his medications discussed?"

"Yes. As I recall, he was to receive intra-venous fluids as well as morphine as required."

"What was the recommended dosage?"

"20 c.c. every four-to-six hours." She replied

"Did anything else unusual happen during your shift?"

"Yes. My nephew called."

"Why was this unusual?" DeSantos gestured

"Because I hadn't spoken to Adam in over a year." Carol answered "My sister and I were never really close."

"And what was the subject of the conversation?"

"He wanted to know if I knew anything about a friend of his that had come in with serious burns."

"And what did you say?"

"I said he had just come back from having his burns cleaned."

"Then what?"

"Then he asked if he could come see him right away. I told him that it wasn't visiting hours yet."

"What was the defendant's reply?" The prosecutor looked cursorily at Adam, who was getting more nervous with each statement.

"He said that he had to fly out later that day and could I make an exception."

"Did you?"

"I did. Adam came into the room just as I had finished giving Mr. Stryker his morphine."

"And then what happened?"

"He said 'thank-you'. I thought he meant for letting him visit. I was wrong."

"Go on."

"He grabbed the empty syringe from me and stuck Eric, I mean the deceased, with it." Carol began to weep openly.

"And then what..."

"He ran."

"What was your reaction?"

"I immediately called the code. I knew what was going to happen. If that air bubble hit his heart, heart attack. If it went to his brain, stroke."

"Thank-you. Your honor, I am finished with this witness."

"Re-cross, Mr. Harper?"

"Of course. Mrs. Copeland, you said you were incarcerated. Why?"

"I plead guilty to accessory to murder, with a sentencing recommendation."

"In exchange for your testimony, correct."

"Yes." Carol dabbed at her eyes with a kleenex.

"So basically, you'd be willing to sell your Nephew up the river in exchange for leniency, is that correct?"

"No. I told the truth!"

"We'll leave that for the jury to decide. No further questions."

Carol was visibly distraught as he left the courtroom to return to her cold cell.

"Any more witnesses?"

"The prosecution rests." DeSantos sat down, triumphantly.

"Mr. Harper."

"The defense rests." Slightly less confident-sounding, but still arrogant.

"We will take a fifteen minute recess, then I will hear closing arguments."

The spectators filed out of the courtroom for a much needed breather.

"What do you think, Mr. DeSantos?" Jeff asked

"I've learned never to make guesses until the verdict is read, but if I were a betting man, I'd say that we got him cold!"

"Yesss." Jeff high-fived his brother, then embraced him.

"Easy, Jeff. It ain't over yet." Always the level-headed one, Matt didn't want to see his brother let down again.

"Listen to your brother. Stranger things have happened. But I wouldn't worry."

...

"Closing arguments. Mr. Desantos?"

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury. The State has proven that beyond a reasonable doubt Adam Copeland did cause the death of Eric Stryker, a rival for the affections of one Jeffrey Hardy. Just the fact that he took the time to enlist the aid of Jeff's brother shows how calculating he is. Everything was set, down to the last detail. The one thing he didn't count on was Eric surviving the car blast. This is where he made his mistake. He waited until the moment was right and then, with the help of his aunt, fatally injected him with an air bubble. You know what you have to do, ladies and gentlemen of the jury. Send a message. Convict Adam Copeland of murder in the first degree and sentence him to the maximum sentence allowed. Thank-you."

DeSantos sat down, beaming.

"Mr. Harper?"

"Thank-you Your Honor. The prosecution had made a good case. Not a great one, by no means open-and-shut, but a good case. There is however one or two unanswered questions. Did my client really inject the deceased with the lethal dose of air or was it his aunt, who I might remind you, sits in a jail cell as we speak? Did my client plant the explosives or was it a jealous brother, who already admitted to participating? The prosecution talks about 'beyond a reasonable doubt'. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, unless you can say for sure that my client did those two things I just mentioned, then by definition we have reasonable doubt. And if we have reasonable doubt, then you might find Adam Copeland not guilty of the crime of murder. Can you really have the blood of an innocent man on your hands? Because that is what will happen if you find this man guilty. Thank-you."

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, you are excused to begin deliberations. Court is adjourned."

While the courtroom emptied, Jeff caught Adam's attention, before he was taken away. Gone was any indication that they had once been close friends. All he regarded the young Hardy with was hatred.

Jeff ran from the courtroom. Matt, who had also seen the looks they had exchanged, followed.

"Jeffro, y'okay?" Matt asked

Jeff looked up. "I don't know who that was, but that wasn't the Addy we knew. It's like something possessed him, dude."

"I saw it too. And frankly, it scared me." Matt replied

"What do we do now?" Jeff asked

"Not much we can do here. Let's go."

Matt and Jeff hurried back to their hotel room for a night of movies and Chinese.

"Matty?"

"What, Jeffro?"

"What if that lawyer guy is wrong? What if Edge gets away with it?" Jeff looked at his plate of food.

"Aw, Jeffro. Don't you worry about it. There is no way that Edge is not gonna pay for what he did to you." Matt wrapped his arm around Jeff, and held him tight.

"But..."

"No buts, Jeff. Edge took away the one thing, next to bunny, that means a lot to you in this world. If they don't put him away, I will." Matt looked into Jeff's eyes and Jeff could tell that his brother meant it. There was a fierceness that Jeff had only seen a few times before.

"I really miss him, Matt. When I wake up, and he's not there, it's like a part of me is not there either." Jeff said

"So do I. Jeff, I'm sorry for putting you through all this crap. Maybe if I hadn't been such a pushover, Adam wouldn't have gone this far." Matt finally put into words his nagging guilty feelings. "If I could do it over..." Matt's voice broke.

"Shhh... don't start. Matty, you know what I think of you. And you know that no matter how hard I try, I cannot stay angry at you." Jeff's turquoise eyes met Matt's dark ones. "So, let's try to forget the past and focus on this yummy food."

"I thought I was supposed to be consoling you." Matt replied "When did you become the strong one and I become the emotional one?"

"Beats the fuck outta me. Let's eat."

They spent the rest of the night eating and talking and talking and eating. The next morning, they were summoned to a meeting with the entire WWE crew.

"I thank you all for getting up this early." Vince said "And for those of you who are not awake yet, YOU'RE FIRRRRREEEEEEEDDDDDDD!"

Several sleepy heads snapped up.

"Now that I have your undivided attention, let me just say that the past few days, weeks, months, have been trying for all of us, but we're gonna pick up the pieces and move on. To that end, I have been informed that it is no longer necessary for us to remain here any longer. I have taken the liberty of posting the itineraries for each particular brand We are back on our regular schedule effective immediately."

"But what about the trial?" Matt asked, reading Jeff's worried glance.

"When a verdict is reached, we will be told."

"But..."

"I know what you are going to say... and I've taken care of that as well. I know that there are some of you will close connections to this case... Matt, Jeff, John Cena, and a few others. Anyone who wishes to remain here until the outcome is known is quite welcome to do so, but it could be tomorrow, next week, or next month before the verdict is rendered. Is there anyone who wishes to stay behind?"

The WWE superstars and crew looked at each other nervously. Eventually, three hands went up.

"I expected as much. As I said, that is fine. I do expect you to rejoin your brands as soon as possible. That's everything. Check-out time is eleven a.m. for those of you who are going."

The other wrestlers talked idly amongst themselves while leaving, some of them stopping to pat Jeff of the shoulder or offer encouragement. While being allowed to remain did seem to lessen Jeff's worry, he was still shaken up. The room was almost empty by the time they got to their feet.

"What are you gonna do, bro?" Matt asked

"Prob'ly just go back to my room. We still got some Chinese left." Jeff replied

"Works for me." Matt answered "Let's go!"

"Yo, yo, yo, hold up!" The third raised hand, John Cena, ran up to them in the corridor.

"What's up?" Matt asked

"I just wanted to let you both know that if there's anything you need, just let me know."

"Thanks for the offer, but I think we got everything cool now. You really don't have to stay behind if you don't want to." Matt stated

"Nah, it's cool."

'Ya wanna join us for leftover Chinese?.. it'll just be the four of us again." Jeff offered

"I dunno, man. I don't think I can spend another night with that rabbit." John snickered

"Bunny likes you, though." Jeff responded

"Can you tell bunny that I like her too, but this is only our second date. I'm not like that." John answered, a juvenile gleam in his eyes.

"Ewwww!" Jeff whined "You and bunny... that's gross!"

Matt just laughed. With each passing day, Jeff got better and better.

"Anyway, I'll see you guys later."

Suddenly, a rumble shook the hotel.

"What was that?" Jeff asked

"Look outside." Matt pointed

From where the trio stood, they could see that it was the weather that was causing the noise. It reminded Matt of the storm that had chased him halfway across the country some time ago. Jeff just cringed every time there was thunder.

"We'll see you in a few minutes?" Matt asked

"Yeah, just let me grab a few things from my room."

"Can we go Matty? Bunny will be scared?"

"Okay, Jeffy. Let's go."

To be safe, they took the stairs. Storms were bad enough, but getting stuck in an elevator with Jeff during one was worse. If the power decided to blow, oh Lord, that was something he didn't want to think about. He still had a hard time figuring Jeff out on some things. Twenty foot Swantons, cool. Storms, not cool. TLC matches, cool. Octopus, not cool. Sometimes he wondered if Dr. Phil could even make some sense out of this.

Without incident, the Hardys made it to their hotel room. Good thing, too, because the power did go out not more than a minute later.

"Dammit... where's the flashlight?" Matt barked his shin against a table.

"Who cares about the flashlight... where's bunny?" Jeff tripped over his bag and went face-first onto the floor.

Both of them ran around the room, Matt looking for his flashlight, which was attached to his key ring, Jeff looking for his cuddle toy.

"Found it." Matt turned on the light, right into Jeff's eyes.

"Thanks, bro. Now help me look."

"Maybe she hid under the bed?" Matt suggested

Jeff squatted down. "Nope. Bunny, where are you?"

"You know that thing can't hear you." Matt stepped over to Jeff.

"Bunny!" Jeff wailed

Three sharp raps on the door stopped them both.

"It's probably just John." Carefully tiptoeing around the luggage and other furniture, Matt got back to the door. It was indeed John, whose arms were full of bottles from his room's wet bar.

"Some weather, eh guys?" John said, setting his bottles down on Matt's bed with several small clinks.

"Yeah. Just be careful."

"Okay." John watched Jeff make a mess of his side of the room, pulling sheets off the bed, tossing his gear all around. "Whassup with him?"

"Can't find bunny." Matt replied. Under some circumstances it would be funny to watch a thirty-one year old ransack his room looking for a stuffed rabbit. This was not one of those times.

"Bunny! Where are you?" Jeff sounded anxious, almost frantic.

"Calm down, Jeff... where did you last see her?" Matt asked

Jeff thought, his tongue playing with his lip ring while he did. Suddenly, he gave a cry of remembrance and ran into the bathroom.

"Found her!" He exclaimed, holding her above his head. "Bad bunny! How many times do I have to tell you not to hide in the bathroom during a storm?"

John opened his mouth to correct him, but Matt stopped him with a simple shake of his head. "Don't bother." It said

Eventually, they sat down to eat, but every time there came a flash of lightning outside their window, Jeff jumped.

"You really don't like storms?" John had heard from the guys that Jeff didn't like bad weather, but this was the first time he'd experienced just how badly it affected Jeff.

"Nuh-uh." Another flash of lightning and another nervous twitch from Jeff.

"Jeff, why don't you do what you used to do as a kid... build a fort." Matt suggested

"Hell, you've got a head start."

"You two gotta help." Jeff said, beginning to drag his mattress into the center of the room.

It was a little awkward, first cleaning off the beds, then taking all four mattresses into the seating area, all by keylight. Using one of the walls of their room as a base, they stacked the two box springs on either side, then put the other mattresses on top for the roof. Finally, they draped enough blankets across the structure to completely shut out the rest of the room. Then the real fun began.

"We have to get all our stuff in here before the monsters come!" Jeff solemnly announced

"Monsters! What monsters?" John asked

"Play along." Matt mouthed "Okay, Jeff, what do we need and how long do we have?"

"Five minutes. And whatever we can save. Go!"

John felt like a total dork running around the dark room looking for things to put in the fort. Matt grabbed the food, Jeff began getting things to do, and John started carefully gathering the booze.

"Four minutes!" Jeff squealed

"John, help me with the roof. We have to make sure it doesn't collapse and that nothing can get in." Matt shouted

"This is ridiculous." John thought

"Three minutes." While Jeff started stockpiling games and stuff into one corner of the fort, Matt and John made sure that it wouldn't collapse and it was dark enough inside.

"I think we're good?" John asked

"Two minutes!" Jeff grabbed Bunny and clamored inside. "Pass me the supplies."

Matt and John took turns handing the bottles and the Chinese to Jeff.

"One minute."

Matt scooted inside, and found a comfortable spot in the middle.

"Are you coming?" John was still standing outside, looking decidedly stupefied.

Like he was abandoning ship, John quickly looked around for anything else that might be needed. Seeing nothing, he crawled under and pulled the blankets that were the "door" down.

"Damn, it's dark in here." He said

"Spooky." Jeff whispered

"Considering you're the one who's afraid of monsters."

Matt turned on his light. It was powerful enough that it illuminated the entire fortress. It wasn't really that tight of a fit. Everyone had their own space and since Jeff had thrown their pillows and the one heavy comforter inside, they could probably stay the night if the power didn't come back on.

"So, now what do we do?" John asked

"I dunno, but I need a drink." Matt broke into one of the bottles. Jeff and John joined in. Between the Chinese and the liquor, they had a great time.

"Now don't take this the wrong way, but I can you a question Jeff?" John looked at his comrade.

"One minute." Jeff had been putting his bunny to bed. All the excitement must've been too much for her. "Sure, dude, what?"

"Don't take this wrong, but are you gay?"

Apparently Jeff was used to being asked this question. "Sex is not about what equipment you have, to me it's about a connection on a deeper level. Male, female, whatever, it doesn't matter. If I feel like I want to share myself with someone like that, as long as I am honest to myself, that's all that really matters to me."

John nodded. It seemed to make sense, at least to Jeff. "So, that day in the storage room...?"

"Dude, I just wanted to make you feel good." Jeff answered, grabbing some egg rolls.

"You looked like you needed it."

"And you Matt?" John remembered that it wasn't just one Hardy Boy who'd been on him.

"I'm bi." He replied "Some people may think that is a cop-out, but it's true. I've found attraction in members of both sexes, and, like Jeff, it has nothing to do with equipment."

"Must be something in the water in Cameron." John said

"Must be." Jeff smirked, winking at Matt.

"So, John, what about you?"

"Ya know, I never had a lot of exposure to that sort of thing growing up." John replied "Hell, I'm sure there were some people like that aroundme, but I never paid much attention."

"You probably had girls all over you." Matt added

"Honestly, no. I was too much into the hip-hop thing to notice." John answered, which was true. He'd spent so much time focusing on the music and the working out, he'd never really noticed them until College, and even then he only rarely dated.

"Well, I declare. I think he's shy!" Jeff said in his best Scarlet O'Hara impression.

"Shy... what do you mean?"

"With girls. Maybe he's playing for a different team, whaddaya think Matt?" Jeff looked slyly.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, did I say that?" John was tempted to leave the fort, monsters or not.

"Well, have you ever fooled around with a guy before?" Matt asked

John thought about it. It had been a long time ago.

"Once. But it was nothing. Just some male bonding." He snapped

"Story! Story!" Jeff clapped his hands.

"You know I've never had a problem with nudity, right...?" He commenced

...

It was a normal day for John. Normal in the sense that he was walking down the corridor wearing nothing but a jock strap and gold shoes, and only the shoes were in the correct place. Today, however was different. He'd convinced one of his running buddies to join him in his exhibition. There they were, two muscular well-built, well-hung young men, strutting down the hall, heading for either the shower or their first class.

"Oh, shit! Here comes that softy Miller." John gasped

Duane Miller, a senior on their floor, and the only person who seemed to get angry with their antics was walking towards them. For months he'd been threatening to get the expelled for what he called loutish behavior. He'd brought out the heavy artillery this time. Striding alongside him was the Dean himself, who was ever more stuck up than Miller.

"Quick, in here!" Cena pushed Tyler into the nearest room. It was a broom closet. There was barely enough room for the both of them to squeeze inside and still close the door.

"What's your problem, Cena... it's not like the Dean's gonna expel us." Tyler whispered

"Shhh!" Cena's heart was already pounding. Expulsion was the last thing he needed if he wanted to pursue his career choices.

Tyler and John stood in absolute silence. They could hear the commotion in the hall as the Dean demanded the whereabouts of the pair.

"We might have to stay in here a while." From the sounds of things, the dean was going room to room.

"What do we do?" John asked

"I have an idea." Tyler said

"What..."

"This." To John's surprise, Tyler reached down and grabbed his limp member. A few quick strokes was all it took to make John hard.

"Are you fuckin' nuts... what if someone hears us?" John gasped

"Only if you scream when you come." Tyler responded, picking up the pace.

Cena's knees started to go weak. That explained why he always lay down when he jerked off.

"You like? If not, I'll stop."

"Stop and I'll knock your ass on the floor." John gasped, enjoying the contact. It had been a while since his last girlfriend.

Tyler didn't stop. In fact, he quickened his pace.

"Oh man, I can't hold it much longer." John groaned, holding onto Tyler.

"It's just a door. Go ahead."

John looked down. The sight of Tyler's hand, now a blur, moving up and down his shaft was enough to send him off. Moaning loudly, maybe a bit too loudly, he coated the back of the closet door with the force of his orgasm.

"That was..." Tyler quickly stuck his hand over John's mouth. There was someone just outside the door.

They both stared in horror as the doorknob slowly turned...

...

"Then what?" Jeff asked, breathless.

"Nothing. The Dean found us, and bitched us out again. It went on our records, but that was it." John responded

"What about you and Tyler?" Matt asked

"What about us. We're still friends, but not in a homosexual way, that's for sure." John replied

Matt looked at Jeff, who looked back, nodding slightly. This time, when they kissed Cena, he didn't push them away. And when the Hardy's went to remove his clothes, he didn't fight them, and when they asked if he wanted to do this, he didn't say no.

**TO BE CONTINUED**

_Some of you wanted a Matt/Jeff/Cena hookup... sorry it's a little weak, but Hardycest is not my forte._

_Coming soon to a computer screen near you... the verdict!_


	6. Chapter 6

We, the Jury...

Matt was the first to awake. He looked around, and for a moment wondered why he had fallen asleep in what looked a box with sheets draped over the front of it. Gradually, the memories of last night came back to him. Well, at least the non X-rated ones.

"I guess it's morning." He whispered. Jeff (and bunny) were still sound asleep on his one side, Cena on the other. Matt slid out of the cocoon, or at least he was going to until he realized that he was almost naked! Cautiously peeking under the comforter, he saw that his two sleeping companions were in the same state. He creased his brow in confusion until the X-rated portion of the previous night's activities returned to him...

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Matt asked, taking his lips from Cena's abs, where he'd been tracing each defined muscle with his mouth.

"If I wasn't, I'd be outside facing Jeff's monsters. You're okay with this, Jeff?" Cena looked over Matt's back at the other Hardy.

"Why wouldn't I be, dude?" Jeff asked

"You're on the rebound." John answered, hoping that he'd chosen the right words.

"Eric's right here." Jeff tapped his chest. "He always will be. You're right here." Jeff reached for John's erection. "And right here is where I am." He devoured John in one gulp.

John Cena was in heaven. Between the mouths of Matt and Jeff, he couldn't think at all. He alternated between giggles when Matt's tongue his a particularly sensitive spot and gasps as Jeff worked his magic a little lower.

"Oh fuck... Matt that tickles." You see?

"You just wanna do this? Or do you want to go further?" Matt asked, between licks of his right pec.

"What do you mean?" John sighed, even though he had a damn good idea.

"You want me to finish you with my mouth or my ass." Jeff added

"Jeff, I can't. I'll hurt you." John replied

"I've had bigger." Jeff replied

Both Matt and John looked surprised at that comment.

"I guess my little bro isn't as innocent as I thought." Matt joked, wiping some saliva from his lips. "Oh well..."

In seconds, Jeff was naked. "Hey Johnny..." He sang, "watch this!"

John watched through half-closed eyes as Jeff slowly licked three fingers and slowly worked them down to his other entrance, preparing himself for Cena's sizable girth. Matt watched, wondering who the lucky bastard was who was bigger than Cena. He couldn't help but get turned on by the spectacle. His pants suddenly felt a little too tight.

Jeff squatted over Cena's red member and, with one quick move, impaled himself on it.

"Holy shit!" John shouted. It was hotter, tighter, and wetter than any woman he'd ever had and maybe ever would.

"Shh!" Jeff said while slowly riding him. "You'll wake bunny. And she's too young to watch this."

"But not to drink?" John laughed

"Smart ass." For punishment, Jeff bounced a little faster. It was an overload between his groin and his brain, with his brain desperately trying to tell his groin to calm itself down. It wasn't working. Not since junior prom had he been worked up so fast and that was after discovering his dad's stash of dirty magazines.

John's hand reached out for something to steady himself with. The closest thing he could grab was Matt's dick. While this show was going on, Matt had removed his clothes and was watching intently with his hand on his penis. When John grabbed him, Matt wondered if feeling another man's sex organ was going to turn him right off. He hoped not. He was right. After any initial shock wore off, John started to stroke him, slowly at first, then faster as his own orgasm approached with the speed of a runaway freight train.

"Matt, I need it." He gasped

"What?"

"Your dick... my mouth... hurry... I can't last much longer!"

That was all the urging Matt needed. He straddled Cena's face and offered it to him. John took most of it, gagging only once, then started sucking it. The way he did made Matt suspect that he'd done this before. Matt then reached back, realizing that Jeff was the only one without any stimulus and began jerking his brother off.

John's resolve broke first. He came, filling Jeff's ass with it. As he shot, he sucked Matt even faster, bringing him over the edge seconds later. A few strokes more was all it took for Jeff to finish.

Jeff was the first to move, grabbing a couple of towels he'd brought with him. He used one to clean himself off and passed the other to Matt who wiped Jeff's seed of his back and John's stomach. After separating, they lay on the blanket, not saying a word. Finally, someone spoke.

"Wow!" John sighed, reaching for a bottle. "That was fuckin' A!" He swigged quickly.

"It's an acquired taste, I guess." Matt knew why.

"Yeah, dog." John finished the bottle rather quickly. "I didn't hurt you, did I?" He looked at Jeff.

"Nah, dude. It's cool."

John suddenly realized how bad the weather was outside. It hadn't been noticeable during their sex, but now that things had quieted down inside the tent, they could clearly hear how violent the weather had become.

"Any more Chinese?" John asked. Normally, asking for food while sitting naked with two of his coworkers was not something he'd normally think about. But tonight it just seemed so normal. He suddenly shivered.

"Cold? Or did the adrenaline finally wear off?" Jeff teased, only putting his shorts back on and climbing under the heavy blanket.

"Dunno. Both, I guess." Matt had already put his lucky boxers on and was also under the blanket, nesting. Despite the weird hour, he was dog-tired after the exertions of the previous couple of days.

John tossed on his shorts and climbed under the blanket. He also felt so tired, too tired for the food that he'd just asked about. He closed his eyes and all three of them, despite the raging storm, were asleep in ten minutes.

"Oh, man." Matt perked his ears. He could still here the weather outside. He reached under his pillow for his watch and looked at the dial. He couldn't believe it. They had been asleep for almost eight hours! And what was that buzzing?

"Hmmm?" Jeff rolled over and stared at him.

"We've been asleep for eight hours?" Matt hoarsely shouted "Eight fuckin' hours!"

"So?" Apparently Matt's shout wasn't as quiet as he'd hoped. He'd woken Cena. "I guess we needed that."

"I guess... what's that noise?"

"What noise?" John asked

"That buzzing." Matt replied

"I dunno. I thought it was my dream. I was a magical beekeeper." Jeff yawned "I had these magical bees that made magical honey and anyone who ate it..."

"Lemme guess." Matt interrupted "They got magical powers."

"How'd you guess?" Jeff asked, wide-eyed.

"Lucky stab." Matt replied

"There it is again." Matt strained to hear where it was coming from. He turned on his light and shone it around the fort.

"It's coming from down there." John pointed to a pile of clothing at the foot of their sleeping area.

"It's my phone!" Matt exclaimed

Just as he got to it, the buzzing stopped.

"Damn." Matt stared at it, as if his will could make whoever it was call back.

"If it's important, they'll call back." Jeff rolled over and began a conversation with Bunny. "Did my little Snookums have a good seepies?"

"Snookums? Seepies? If I ever talk like that, somebody hit me with a lead pipe, please?" John covered his eyes, as if that would help block out Jeff's voice.

Matt kept glaring at his cell. The number was unknown, so there was no way to call back.

"C'mon, motherfucker, ring." He swore "Or I'll..."

The phone rang, startling Matt. He dropped it.

"Damn... Hello?" Cursing his fumble-fingers, he finally got it open.

"This is his brother Matt." Confusion etched on his face, Matt responded. Why would someone be calling Jeff on his cell? Until he remembered that Jeff's phone was shot after forgetting to take it out of his pants before doing laundry. And with the recent excitement, Jeff hadn't gotten around to replacing it.

"Okay, I see... when? Tomorrow at ten. Okay, we'll see you then." Matt closed the phone.

"What was that?" Jeff asked

"That was Mr. DeSantos." Matt responded "They've reached a verdict."

"They have? That was fast." John added

"Is that a good thing?" Jeff demanded

"It could be. Either the evidence was so overwhelming or they all believed the reasonable doubt nonsense Adam's lawyer was spouting." Matt replied "Y'know, I wish I hadn't watched Law and Order all those years ago."

"We'll find out tomorrow, either way, right?" John said

"Yeah. I guess going back to sleep is out of the question." Matt tried to stay light, but his insides were churning. What if the jury found Adam not guilty? He looked over at Jeff, who was in his own little world again. Could his little brother's psyche handle it?

The storm ended a little while later, but none of them noticed. Despite Matt's comment, they were all asleep yet again. The following morning, they were still half-dead, how that was is a mystery after all the sleep they'd had in the past day and a half, but they sure looked it when arriving at the courthouse with about ten minutes to spare.

"God, you look like shit." Jericho couldn't resist. "Didn't sleep well last night?"

"Actually..." John started

"Yeah. Too much nervous energy." Matt interrupted, trying to get the kinks out of his neck.

"Me too. As soon as I heard, I spent the rest of the night trying to get back here in time."

"How'd you find out?" Jeff asked, bouncing from foot to foot. Either he was really nervous or he needed to pee really bad.

"Vince got a call last night and he messaged as many of us as he could. I dunno how many are gonna get back in time though. I got lucky 'coz my flight was delayed." Chris explained

In the corridor, Jeff ran into the bathroom. I guess he really did have to go.

"Well save you a... never mind." Jeff had already closed the door.

Matt and Chris took seats in the spectators box. Everyone was there, looking anxious, expecially the defendant.

"Five minutes." Matt looked at his watch.

"It's like the first day of school and we're waiting for the principal." Jericho whispered

Matt looked at his watch again.

"I hope Jeff gets here soon." He said "I'd hate for him to miss all this."

Jeff stared at his reflection in the one mirror that was undamaged in the men's bathroom. The one John had taken his fist to had already been removed, but a new one had not been installed since. His stomach churned noisily, and it probably not from all the Chinese food (or anything else) he'd ingested recently.

"Nothing to be nervous about." He told himself, running the cold water at full. "It's only the rest of your life we're talking about."

Once the shock of the cold water had brought him back, he looked at his reflection, praying that he could at least keep a stiff face if the worst happened. If not, he'd probably be taking it out on Adam personally.

"What the fuck..." Jeff jumped when he saw two reflections staring back at him. His own, he expected, but he could clearly see another face in the mirror, almost as if someone was standing behind.

Jeff turned and, to his shock, there was someone behind him, sort of. Jeff was really creeped out.

"Eric?" He asked "Is that you?"

The specter did not reply. It just tapped its forehead and pointed at it's wrist. Then, just as quickly, it disappeared.

Jeff ran out of the bathroom and into the courtroom, where he took the still-empty seat next to Matt, Chris, and John.

"I saw Eric." He whispered

"What?" Matt said

"I saw Eric. In the bathroom." Jeff repeated, a little louder.

"Are you sure?" Matt asked

"Yeah, he was standing right behind me when I washed my hands." Jeff answered "You do believe me, don't you?"

"Of course I do, little bro." Matt replied, hoping it was dinner that was causing him to hallucinate. "But we'll talk later."

"All rise. Court is now in session. Hizzoner Judge Edward Hanson presiding. You may be seated."

"I see from the foreman that a verdict has been reached. Is that correct?"

"Yes we have, Your Honor." The foreman answered

"And is it on paper as per my instructions?"

"Yes it is." A slip of paper was given to the Bailiff to give to the Judge, who briefly inspected it. His expression did not change, so no one, except the judge and jury, knew what the outcome is.

"Will the defendant please rise and face the jury?"

Adam rose, facing the twelve men and women. For the first time since the trial had commenced, he did not have a smug expression. He looked absolutely terrified.

"Will the foreman now read the verdict..."

"We, the jury, in the above entitled action, find the defendant Adam Joseph Copeland..." Dramatic Pause "Not guilty of the charge of murder in the first degree!"

The courtroom gasped silently. Adam and his lawyer congratulated each other, while those on the side of the prosecution looked stunned.

"What the hell?" Matt shouted, outraged.

The judge banged his gavel for silence. "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, thank-you for your service. You are now excused."

The jury filed out. "Well, Mister Copeland, the jury has found you not guilty in the above entitled action. You are free to go, but may I say one thing..."

The judge paused to take a sip of water before continuing,

"In my twenty-some years on this bench, I have seen many defendants come and go before me. Some were innocent, and some were guilty. Usually I have a good sense of which way a verdict will do, but today I was completely shocked. Had you come before me alone, I would have found you guilty of the charge of murder-one and sentenced you to life without the possibility of parole. However, I cannot overrule the fact that a jury of your peers disagreed. You, Sir, should go out and buy a lottery ticket, because today you are the luckiest man on the face of this planet. That is all. This court is adjourned."

One bang of his gavel and that was it.

The courtroom cleared out. Even DeSantos and Kincaid looked stunned at the turn of events.

"I'm sorry." He said to the four men sitting in the front row. "I really thought we had him."

"So did we." Cena answered

"What now?" Jeff asked

"Unless I can find some error of law, it's over. Double jeopardy precludes us from trying him again for the same charge. I'll keep working on it, but it would have to be a pretty big error to let us re-open this one." The prosecutor and his assistant departed. They were now the only people still in the courtroom.

"That sucked." Jericho blurted

"Yeah, it did." Matt answered

"What the fuck was that jury smoking? Were they even watching the same trial?" Jericho, who was the only one to have watched the entire case, fumed.

"Uh, guys? Could Jeff and I have a few minutes alone?" Matt looked over. Jeff hadn't spoken a single word since the verdict was read. He was totally spaced.

"Sure. After that, I need a drink. Come on Chris, let's find a bar and get bombed."

Now it was just down to two.

"Jeffro, are you okay?" Matt put his arm around Jeff.

"Yeah, I guess. I really thought we had him too." Jeff answered monotonously. "Now what do we do?"

"I think right now we should try to pick up the pieces and move on." Matt replied

"I don't think I can, Matty. Everything I loved dearly is gone." He sighed loudly.

"Not true, bro. You still have me, and Dad, and Bunny... we all love you, just not in the same way that Eric loved you." Matt answered "Think of all the fun you two had when you were together, the short time that it was.

Jeff tried. Finally, he came up with one. His birthday. Eric had taken him to the most expensive restaurant in New York City and treated him to the most succulent dinner he'd ever experienced, complete with before dinner martinis, wine with, and brandy after. He'd even surprised him by having the waitstaff bring out a torte with candles on it. Being sung to was a little weird since Eric's singing talent was bad at best. But just the look on Eric's face was enough.

"You found one?" Matt guessed, watching Jeff back in spaced-out mode.

"Yeah. My last birthday." Jeff answered "He took me to this real fancy restaurant and..." All of a sudden, the happiness overwhelmed him and he broke again.

"Alright, Jeffro, that's fine." Matt had expected this and was ready. "You don't need to tell me about it, just remember it. Keep it with you forever." He held his brother tightly.

Matt was suddenly overcome by his own emotion. Not sadness, but he felt a black rage consume him. Edge had taken the love of his life, now he's done the same to Jeff, who was next? So badly did Matt want to make Adam pay for what he'd done, but the rational part of him was telling him to relax, and see what the law could do first.

Jeff was still bawling against him. In an abstract kind of moment, he realized that he'd worn a black t-shirt to the courtroom, thank the maker.

"Excuse me, gentlemen... I need to lock up." The bailiff had returned

"Five minutes, please?" Matt pleaded

He nodded wordlessly.

"Thank-you." Matt mouthed

Matt rocked Jeff silently. Then he started to sing.

We passed the point of no return

How can we make amends?

All alone I watch the candle burn

Burnin´ at both ends

Nothin´s ever gonna change

Can tears wash away this pain?

"Matty..." Jeff whimpered

"Shhh!" He patted Jeff's head. "I know I can't sing very well either."

Tears in the rain

Here it comes again

I´ll never know the reason why

I cry these tears in the rain

The time has come to make a stand

We´ve waited much too long

Nobody´s gonna lead us by the hand

How could we be so wrong?

We lost the chance to play this game

Can tears wash away this pain

Despite his lack of talent, the words did have a soothing effect. Jeff was a little calmer byt the end.

"Matty, but why...?"

"One of the few songs I know by heart. It was either that or your theme song."

Jeff finally took his face from Matt's chest.

"I love you Matthew Moore Hardy." He smiled

"And I love you Jeffrey Nero Hardy." Matt replied "More than anything in this world."

"Well, I wouldn't go that far." Jeff interjected

"Oh?" Matt asked "Who do you love more than me?"

"Well, there's Bunny and Daddy and you can't forget Skittles..." Jeff laughed, something he hadn't done in a long time.

"Yeah, but none of them can do this." Matt kissed Jeff, hard, on the mouth.

"Matt..." Jeff squirmed a little. He didn't care what people thought, he just didn't want the bailiff coming back to find him kissing Matt.

"That is how much I love you." Matt broke the kiss with as much force as he'd given it. "And don't you ever forget it. Now let's go before any more rumours get started."

"Oh-kay." Jeff bounced off of the bench. "You hungry?"

"Aren't I always?" Matt patted his stomach.

"Why don't we get out of here and I'll make you the best sketti dinner you've ever had!"

"Where you gonna find a kitchen?"

"Trust me."

Matt did, but it still seemed a little freaky to pull up to Eric's house.

"Jeff, don't you find it awkward still living here?" Matt asked

"Eric will always be with me. What better way to keep the memories alive. Anyway, I spent so much time here dude..." Jeff answered

"That's cool with me." Matt dropped the subject before Jeff became melancholy once more.

While Jeff made dinner, Matt just wandered around. He'd only ever been in the living room. His gaze was diverted by a series of pictures on the mantel. Most of them were of either Eric, Jeff, or both of them, but there was one that he recognized from many years ago. He'd forgotten all about it. It was the last time Mom had been well enough to go on vacation with the family. He traced over her face with his finger, and realized how long it had been since he'd thought about her.

"Matt, there's a bottle of... whatcha doin'?" Jeff leaned out the pass.

"Just looking at some pictures. I didn't know you saved this one."

"I didn't. I had it in my suitcase when my place went up." Jeff walked over with a ladle full of sauce. "Try this, bro."

Matt took a sip. It was very spicy, just the way he liked it.

"Perfect." Matt gasped

"Good. I'm just dishing up. Can you open a bottle of red?" Jeff pointed to an ornate corner unit. It was filled with bottles of wine, expensive-looking glassware, and other trinkets.

Matt poured while Jeff served the meal.

"Jeff, this looks incredible." Matt said.

"Well, it ain't fuckin' Chinese. Dig in."

"Wait. Before we do, a toast?"

"Sure. To what?"

Matt thought about it. "To us. Let's let nothing split us up ever again."

"Like nothing ever will." Jeff sniggered

"And to Eric..." Matt let it end there, simply raising his glass to Jeff.

"To Eric." Jeff returned the gesture.

**THE END**

_There is one last chapter in the works, but it will take a while to be written... to those of you who liked it, thank-you, to those of you who didn't... oh well._

_As always, all your comments are welcome._

_I have neglected it in this book, so I'll do it now..._

_All characters copyright to the WWE. The character of Eric Stryker appears courtesy me. No claims are made regarding any individual's sexual preference. (If they were you know where Jeff would be right now.) This is a work of fiction. Any similarity to any persons, real of fictional, is not intended, to an extent,_

_"Tears in the Rain" by Triumph copyright 1986 from the album "Sport of Kings"_

_Enjoy!!!  
_


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